HF.SERVBSTORArtl'. 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


GIDEON  LEE.  MAYOR     OF  NEW  YORK  1S33-4. 


A  HISTORY 


OF  THE 


NEW  YORK  SWAMP 


By 
FRANK     W.     NORCROSS 

of  the 
SHOE  AND  LEATHER  REPORTER 


NEW  YORK 

Published  for  the  Author  by 

THE   CHISWICK   PRESS 

1901 


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Copyright 

1901. 

Frank  W.   Norcross. 


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THE   SONS    OF   THE    SWAMPERS 
IS    DEDICATED    THIS    BOOK. 


In  the  district  known  as  the  New  York  Swamp 
I  met  their  fathers  almost  daily  for  many  years. 
They  were  Kings  in  the  Tanning  Trade.  There 
were  the  stalwart  and  manly  Hoyt's ;  the  aristo- 
cratic Thorncs;  the  cultured  Healys;  the  broad- 
minded  Schultz ;  the  gentlemanly  Lees ;  the  Hor- 
tons ;  merchants  and  manufacturers ;  the  Laphams, 
"Friends"  in  faith  and  works;  the  moneyed  Fayer- 
weathers ;  the  genial  Palens ;  the  cautious  Bulk- 
leys  ;  the  steadfast  and  solid  Ladews ;  the  successful 
Reeses;  the  honorable  Ishams,  and  many  more  who 
formed  a  galaxy  of  merchants  such  as  may  never 
again  be  seen  in  the  Hide  and  Leather  business. 

These  men  dominated  the  trade  for  nigh  a  hun- 
dred years.  Their  example  is  worthy  of  emulation. 
It  is  with  the  design  of  preserving  a  record  of  their 
deeds  that  these  papers  were  written  by  their,  and 
your,  servant  for  half  a  century, 

F.  W.  NORCROSS. 

"Still  from  the  hurrying  train  of  life, 

Fly  backward  far  and  fast, 
The  milestones  of  the  fathers, 

The  landmarks  of  the  past," 


oe 


HISTORY  OF  THE  SWAMP. 


The  art  of  tanning  was  introduced  in  New  York 
coeval  with  its  settlement.  The  rotund  Dutchmen 
who  were  under  the  rule  of  Peter  Minuit  and  his 
successors  wore  a  garb  of  leather,  and  the  artizans 
added  a  leather  apron !  These  were  made  from 
deerskins.  The  agile  animals  that  furnished  these 
skins  could  be  killed  near  the  site  of  the  present 
swamp.  In  the  possession  of  the  Beekman  family 
are  antlers  of  deer  which  William  Beekman,  their 
ancestor,  shot  in  Beekman  street  and  its  vicinity, 
about  1688. 

In  1664  New  York,  or — as  it  had  been  previously 
named — New  Amsterdam,  came  into  the  possession 
of  the  English.  Some  tanners  from  London  came 
here.  They  introduced  the  apprentice  system. 
Seven  years  was  the  term  of  service  for  a  boy  of  the 
age  of  fourteen  years,  at  which  they  were  indent- 
ured. The  early  tanners  made  their  leather  into 
shoes,  and  the  trades  were  not  separated  until  about 
the  time  of  the  Revolution. 

In  1669  the  first  patent  known  here  was  granted 
to  Adriasen  and  Christopher  \*an  Lear  for  a  ''mill 
to  grind  or  rasp  the  rind  of  ])ark  of  oaks  to  be  used 
in  tanning."  The  tanning  properties  of  the  hemlock 
tree  were  then  unknown.  Outside  of  New  York 
there  was  a  tannery  owned  l\v  the  Iltilst  familv  at 
Greenwood,  Brooklyn.  All  the  rest  of  these  estab- 
lishments, with  their  contiguous  shoe  shops,  were 


2  HISTORY    OF   THE    SWAMP 

located  near  the  present  corner  of  Broad  and  Bea- 
ver streets.  Conrent  Ten  Eyck  was  the  first  tanner. 
He  located  near  that  corner  in  1653.  Tanners  were 
ordered  outside  of  the  city  wall  (Wall  street)  at  the 
time  of  the  English  occupation  and  were  located 
near  Maiden  Lane. 

A  relic  of  the  old  Dutch  tanners  has  come  down 
to  the  present  day.  It  is  the  coat  of  arms  of  John 
Harpending,  who  owned  most  of  "Shoemakers' 
Pasture,"  a  name  given  to  sixteen  acres  of  land  run- 
ning north  from  Maiden  Lane,  between  Gold  and 
Nassau  streets,  to  the  Park.  He  gave  the  money 
and  land  with  which  to  build  the  church  at  the  cor- 
ner of  Fulton  and  William  streets,  and  his  coat  oi 
arms,  consisting  of  an  old  fashioned  graining  plate 
and  beam,  surmounted  by  a  currier's  knife,  used  by 
tanners,  hung  over  the  pulpit  until  it  was  demol- 
ished in  1875. 

Five  tanners  in  1680  bought  and  occupied  Shoe- 
makers' Pasture.  Eventually  it  came  into  the  pos- 
session of  John  Harpending,  one  of  the  original 
purchasers.  In  1696  he  cut  it  up  into  164  house 
lots,  and  from  the  proceeds  of  their  sale  he  became 
a  very  rich  man.  It  is  now  the  center  of  the  mer- 
cantile section  of  New  York,  but  it  was  a  wild, 
rough  tract  when  the  tanners  bought  it. 

After  this  tract  was  sold  the  tanners  settled 
around  the  "Collect,"  or  lake,  on  Centre  street, 
where  now  stands  the  "Tombs"  prison.  It  was  fa- 
mous as  the  pond  where  Robert  Fulton  conducted 
his  experiments.     He  propelled  upon  its  surface, 


EARLY  TANNING  IN  NEW  YORK      3 

by  steam,  a  small  boat,  before  he  sailed  the  Cler- 
mont up  the  North  River. 

Only  upper  leather  was  tanned  here  in  those 
early  days,  and  it  was  thought  necessary  for  the 
hides  to  lay  in  the  vats  for  a  year.  All  sole  leather 
was  imported  from  London.  As  late  as  1768  Gov- 
ernor Moore  wrote  to  the  "Lords  of  Trade"  in  Lon- 
don :  "The  tanning  of  leather  has  been  carried  on 
here  (in  New  York)  for  many  years.  Leather  is 
greatly  inferior,  in  quality,  to  that  made  in  Europe, 
and  the  tanners  have  not  yet  arrived  at  the  perfec- 
tion of  making  sole  leather." 

The  capacity  of  early  tanneries  was  1,000  to  2,000 
hides  a  year,  or  their  equivalent  in  deer  skins,  which 
were  plentiful.  The  slaughter  hides  used  were 
bought  from  the  butchers.  The  tan  vats  were  ob- 
long boxes  and  no  tannery  had  the  luxury  of  a  roof. 
The  beam  house  was  a  shed  open  at  the  sides  and 
fronting  lime  vats  and  pools.  In  a  circular  trough 
made  of  hewed  timber,  bark  was  ground  or  crushed 
by  stone  rollers  propelled  by  a  horse.  The  mih 
ground  two  "floorings"  of  bark,  or  about  half  a  cord 
a  day.  Some  calfskins  were  tanned.  Only  rich 
gentlemen  wore  shoes  made  of  so  fine  a  material  as 
calfskins. 

The  tanners  did  not  remain  very  long  at  the  Col- 
lect pond.  About  1790  they  began  to  cluster 
around  the  swamp.  James  Brooks  and  Jacob  Lor- 
illard,  who  had  formerly  tanned  in  Centre  and  in 
]\Iagazine  streets,  appear  in  the  directory  of  1800 
as  located  in  Jacob  street. 


4  HISTORY    OF   THE    SWAMP 

George  Washington  once  lived  on  the  border  of 
the  Swamp.  In  1798,  having  taken  the  oath  of 
office  as  first  President  of  the  United  States  on  the 
spot  where  his  statue  now  stands  in  Wall  street, 
he  took  up  his  official  residence  in  the  large  man- 
sion at  No.  3  Cherry  street,  near  Frankfort  street. 
This  remained  the  Executive  Mansion  for  one  year, 
or  until  the  capital  was  removed  to  Philadelphia. 
The  members  of  the  cabinet  were  housed  in  Frank- 
lin Square,  at  the  junction  with  Frankfort  street, 
and  its  vicinity.  Every  day  after  dinner  the  state 
coach  with  four  cream-colored  horses,  drove  Lady 
Washington  and  the  President  either  up  the  leafy 
Bowery  or  through  Pearl  street  to  the  Battery,  the 
great  pleasure  ground  of  New  York.  There  was 
Republican  simplicity  in  this  parade.  "That  George 
Washington,"  said  an  excited  foreigner.  "Why, 
where  is  his  guard?"  "Here,"  said  the  citizen  ad- 
dressed, tapping  his  breast  significantly ;  "Every 
American  is  his  guard." 

In  the  evening  the  "Republican  Court"  was  held 
in  Cherry  street.  Mrs.  Washington,  surrounded 
by  the  first  ladies  of  the  land,  received.  The  ladies 
dressed  in  white  satin  and  silks  shot  with  silver 
thread.  The  men  wore  silk  small  clothes  (knicker- 
bockers), silk  stockings  and  pumps.  Their  coats 
were  faced  with  yellow  silk  or  buckskin.  Military 
men  wore  uniforms,  boots  and  swords.  These  re- 
ceptions were  select,  elegant  and  courtly. 

Visitors  to  the  Executive  Mansion  had  to  pass 
the  Swamp,  for  it  was  the  northernmost  boundary 


A  REPUBLICAN  COURT  5 

of  the  city.  All  beyond  was  pasture,  or  at  best, 
farms  and  forest.  To  most  of  them  the  view  of  tan- 
neries, with  the  vats  laid  down  in  parallel  rows  was 
an  unwonted  sight.  Not  so  to  all.  General  Anthony 
Wayne  was  familiar  with  the  pungent  odor  of  bark, 
for  the  "hero  of  Stony  Point"  was  a  tanner  in  Penn- 
sylvania. General  William  Sutton,  of  Salem,  Mass., 
owned  a  tannery  which  was  owned  by  the  Sutton 
family  up  to  about  1870,  and  Colonel  Oliver  Spen- 
cer and  Colonel  Matthias  Ogden,  of  Newark,  N. 
J.,  were  tanners  and  brave  officers  in  the  Revolu- 
tion. Alexander  H.  Read  was  a  general  in  the 
Army  and  served  on  Washington's  staff.  He  was 
a  tanner  at  Wardsboro,  Vt.,  and  brought  up  five 
sons  to  the  trade. 

Colonel  John  Mansfield,  a  Lynn  shoemaker,  com- 
manded the  Lynn  and  Salem  Regiment  at  Bunker 
Hill.  Roger  Sherman,  of  Connecticut,  shoemaker, 
and  Francis  Lewis,  of  New  York,  hide  dealer, 
represented  these  trades  in  the  first  Continental 
Congress.  They  were  among  the  signers  of  the 
Immortal  Declaration.  These  men,  no  doubt, 
visited  their  beloved  General,  and  later,  perhaps, 
partook  of  the  hospitality  of  their  fellow  craftsmen 
in  Frankfort  street. 

About  the  beginning  of  last  century  the  Swamp 
was  a  favorite  place  for  turkey  shooting  on  Thanks- 
giving day  and  other  holidays.  The  Pearl  street 
boys  used  to  build  forts  of  the  spent  tan,  piked  with 
rattle  horns,  and  defend  them  against  the  invaders 


6  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP 

who  came  from  "Fly  Market,"  or  across  the  Fields, 
as  the  City  Hall  Park  was  called. 

Some  idea  of  the  value  of  swamp  property  in  the 
early  part  of  this  century  can  be  obtained  from  the 
purchases  of  Jacob  Lorillard.  In  1809  he  bought 
from  John  Roosevelt  the  property  14  Ferry  street, 
running  back  to  Beekman  street,  for  $3,000.  On  it 
was  the  brick  house  in  which  he  lived.  In  1815  he 
bought  the  lot  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Ferry  and 
Jacob  streets  for  $1,620,  and  other  property  on 
Ferry  street  for  which  he  paid  $1  per  square  foot. 
He  bought  ^2  Gold  street  for  $6,500.  There  was  a 
brick  house  on  it.  In  1832  a  large  lot,  32  x  75,  Nos. 
6  to  10  Ferry  street,  was  acquired  for  $4,000,  also 
the  lot  76  Gold  Street  for  $3,800.  There  was  a  tan- 
nery there  belonging  to  John  Weber  which  ran  to 
about  80  Gold  street.  It  was  cut  up  into  lots  and 
Mr.  Lorillard  bought  a  part  of  it.  Mr.  Lorillard 
also  bought  on  Spruce  street.  No.  41,  for  $1,043.50, 
and  assumed  a  mortgage  for  $950.  This  lot  ran 
back  and  included  No.  85  Gold  street,  which  he 
bought  from  James  Flynn  for  $5,800,  and  20  feet 
adjoining  from  John  B.  Cheeseman,  for  $2,650. 
He  also  bought  the  lot,  No.  24  Spruce  street, 
in  1815,  for  $1,550,  unimproved.  In  1833,  eighteen 
feet  front  of  this  estate  was  taken  to  improve  Spruce 
street,  for  which  the  city  paid  him  $2,415. 

EARLY    SWAMP    TANNERS 

The  old  tanners  who  did  business  in  the  Swamp 
previous  to  1800  sold  their  product  to  dealers  on 


^        ,  EARLY  SWAMP    TANNERS  7 

the  west  side,  who  in  turn  supplied  the  shoe  makers 
who  were  their  only  customers.  Tanners'  methods 
were  primitive.  Leather  was  taken  out  when  half 
tanned,  rubbed  over  a  beam  with  a  stick,  and  then 
skived  down  to  the  required  thickness,  and  the 
skivings  thrown  away  or  run  into  the  creek 
that  emptied  into  the  East  River.  Splitting  leather 
was  then  unknown.  Sole  leather  was  finished  by 
rolling  a  smooth  grindstone  over  it. 

On  Jacob  street,  extending  through  to  Gold 
street,  was  the  tannery  of  Daniel  Tooker,  He  died 
in  1806,  aged  83  years.  Michael  Ortley  had  a  tan- 
nery on  the  corner  of  Gold  and  Frankfort  streets. 

In  the  City  Directory  of  181 1  is  this  list  of  tanners 
in  New  York : 

Arcularius,  P.  J.,  11  Frankfort,  house  same. 
Anthony,  John  P.,  68  Frankfort,  house  Clifif. 
Bonnett,    Peter,   Jacob   and   Frankfort,   house   22 

Frankfort. 
Bloodgood,  Abm.,  62  Frankfort,  house  52. 
Brooks,  Henry,  518  Pearl. 
Bryson,  David,  48  Frankfort. 
Bryden,  Wm.,  Bowery  corner  Canal. 
Cunningham  &  McCorniick,  55  Ferry. 
Corse,  Israel,  14  Jacob,  house  7  Vandewater. 
McCartee,  Peter,  12  Jacob. 
Cunningham,  R.,  21  James. 
McCormick,  Hugh,  35  Ferry,  house  102  Gold. 
Ferguson  &  Shipley,  Jacob  corner  Frankfort. 
Ferguson,  G.,  52  Frankfort. 
Hall,  John,  7  Jacob. 


8  HISTORY    OF   THE    SWAMP 

Lee,  Gideon,  23  I'Y'rry,  house  J^)  Frankfort. 
Lowber,  M.,  64  and  66  Frankfort. 
Lorillard,  Jacob,  16  Ferry,  house  18  Ferry. 
Lindsay,  G.,  morocco,  52  Ferry. 
Polhemus,  A.,  7  Jacob,  house  3  Jacob. 
Sherwood  &  McVickers,  13  Jacob. 
Shaw,  John,  morocco,  15  Ferry. 
Tooker,  Daniel,  11  Jacob. 
Weber,  J.,  78  Gold. 

The  Swamp  beg-an  to  figure  in  the  political 
history  of  New  York  about  the  commencement  of 
the  present  century.  The  prominent  leather  dealers 
became  leaders  in  the  political  parties  and  ofBcers 
of  the  organization  had  their  headquarters  at  the 
celebrated  Washington  and  Tammany  Halls. 

The  headquarters  of  the  Federal  party,  1800  and 
later,  was  at  Washington  Hall,  a  massive  build- 
ing, mostly  used  like  Tammany  for  hotel  purposes. 
Washington  Hall  was  built  by  the  rich  John  G. 
Costar.  It  stood  on  the  corner  of  Broadway  and 
Chambers  street,  and  was  purchased,  together  with 
the  land,  by  A.  T.  Stewart  for  $60,000,  and  on  this 
and  two  additional  lots  he  built  the  splendid  store 
used  for  his  wholesale  business.  He  moved  into 
this  in  18.48  and  the  whole  cost  of  the  building  and 
land  at  that  time  did  not  reach  $300,000. 

Tammany  Wig-wam  was  a  hotel  on  the  corner  of 
Spruce  and  Nassau  streets  in  the  year  1800.  The 
kitchen  was  on  Nassau,  and  directly  in  the  rear  of  this 
was  a  room,  called  from  the  proprietor  of  the  house 
"Martling's  Long  Room."  This  was  the  headquar- 


POLITICS  IN  THE  SWAAlP  9 

lers  of  the  Democracy  or,  as  they  were  then  called,, 
the  "Republican  party,"  until  Tammany  Hall  was 
finished,  in  1812,  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Park 
Row  and  Frankfort  street.  The  cost  of  this  struc- 
ture was  $28,000.  The  corner  stone  was  laid  May 
13,  181 1.  It  was  a  fine  building;  the  hall  of  meet- 
ing was  up  one  flight  of  stairs  and  occupied  the 
whole  story.  The  "Sun''  building  now  stands  on 
this  corner. 

The  frequenters  of  Tammany  Hall  affected  the 
Indian  costume  and  manners  at  their  meetings  and 
parades.  The  chief  officers  were  "Sachems,"  and 
they  only  had  access  to  the  records  of  the  Order; 
when  marcliing  in  processions  they  went  in  single 
or  Indian  file,  the  officers  dressed  in  full  aboriginal 
costume.  At  the  admission  of  new  members  a  song 
was  sung  with  an  Indian  chorus. 

Another  place  of  meeting  for  the  Democracy  was 
Harmony  Hall,  in  Frankfort  street,  at  the  north- 
west corner  of  William.  In  this  building,  owned 
by  David  Bryson,  the  Swamp  clique  would  some- 
times mature  their  plans  before  giving  them  the 
broader  endorsement  of  Tammany. 

Although  all  professed  Republican  (Democratic) 
principles  in  national  aftairs,  occasional  splits  oc- 
curred on  local  questions.  The  "Bucktails"  were 
those  opposed  to  the  election  of  De  Witt  Clinton, 
and  took  their  name  from  the  fact  that  they  w^ore 
the  tail  of  a  deer  in  their  hats.  John  Jacob  Astor 
used  to  have  two  or  three  boys  stationed  pn  the 


10  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP 

steps  of  Tammany  Hall  on  meeting  nights  to  sell 
these  fur  badges. 

One  branch  of  the  Biicktail  party  which  split  on 
a  city  government  question  was  called  the  "North 
River  Squad,"  from  the  fact  that  its  leaders  resided 
in  that  portion  of  the  city.  Their  opponents  were 
for  local  reasons  called  the  "Swamp  Clique." 
Among  its  leaders  were  Abraham  Bloodgood,  John 
P.  Anthony,  curriers  and  leather  dealers,  and  James 
Tylee,  the  leather  inspector,  who  was  a  Sachem  of 
Tammany  during  the  latter  portion  of  the  last  cen- 
tury. He  lost  his  ofBce  soon  after,  when  the  oppo- 
site party  came  into  power. 

The  Swamp  Clique  used  to  meet  in  the  store  of 
Abraham  Bloodgood,  62  Frankfort  street.  This 
was  nicknamed  Swamp  place.  Mr.  Bloodgood  was 
an  alderman  from  1804  to  1807  and  State  Prison 
Inspector  1807  to  1812.  Party  spirit  ran  high  in 
those  days,  and  no  pains  were  spared  to  gain  an 
election.  In  the  year  1801,  prior  to  a  charter  elec- 
tion, Jasper  Ward,  a  member  of  the  Swamp  Clique, 
bought  of  Abraham  Bloodgood  a  lot  of  ground  in 
the  Fifth  Ward,  which,  with  the  currying  shop  on 
it,  was  said  to  be  worth  $2,000.  This  he  immediately 
deeded  over  to  thirty-nine  persons,  as  tenants  in 
common,  to  enable  them  to  vote.  (The  property 
qualification  required  every  voter  to  own  property 
valued  at  $50.)  The  Ward  was  carried  by  the  help 
of  these  votes,  giving  twenty-five  majority  to  Arcu- 
larius  and  Drake,  the  Anti-Federal  candidates,  but 
the  election  being  contested,  and  the  property  prov- 


POLITICS  IN  THE  SWAMP  ii 

ing  to  be  worth  only  about  fifteen  hundred  dollars, 
they  were  not  allowed  to  take  their  seats. 

Abraham  Bloodgood  was  a  currier  and  leather 
merchant  in  the  Swamp  for  many  years,  and  did 
a  large  business.  His  store  was  at  No.  62  Frank- 
fort street.  He  retired  from  the  leather  trade  about 
the  year  181 5,  and  afterward  resided  at  No.  52 
I-'rankfort  street.  He  died  in  1837,  aged  75  years. 
He  left  a  large  fortune  to  four  children.  Mr.  Blood- 
good  was  president  of  the  Continental  Fire  Insur- 
ance Company. 

David  Bryson,  a  celebrated  leather  dealer,  John 
i^I.  Bloodgood,  son  of  Abraham  Bloodgood,  and 
Jonathan  Trotter,  a  well-known  morocco  dealer  and 
politician  of  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago,  were  after- 
ward Sachems  of  Tammany. 

At  the  time  of  which  we  treat,  the  Federalist  party 
nicknamed  the  Republicans  or  Tammany  Hall  men 
"Democrats,"  as  a  term  of  reproach,  it  being  then 
applied  to  the  Jacobins  of  the  French  Revolution. 
The  party  adopted  the  title  after  the  election  of 
Andrew  Jackson  to  the  Presidency  in  1828. 

The  cognomen  of  "Loco  Focos,"  which  for  many 
years  clung  to  the  Democratic  Party,  originated  in 
Tammany  Hall.  In  1835  a  split,  such  as  we  have 
alluded  to,  occurred  among  the  Tammany  men,  and 
one  section  gained  possession  of  the  hall  for  an 
evening  meeting,  but  found  that  their  opponents 
had  carried  off  the  lights.  This  was  a  game  for 
which  they  w^ere  prepared,  as  each  man  had  a 
candle,  and  the  general  striking  of  loco  foco  or 


12  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP 

hrinisloiic  inatclics  to  lij^lit  the  lamps  caused  the 
atmosphere  of  the  luill  to  be  redolent  of  sulphur 
durini^'  the  evening.  Jackson  S.  Schultz  and  Fred. 
1'.  Fawcett  carried  candles  on  that  occasion.  The 
next  mornino;-  the  "Courier  and  Encjuirer"  called 
them  the  loco  foco  party.  The  name  spread  ovei 
the  country  and  wis  retained  for  many  years. 

The  "Equal  Rights  Party"  of  1835  declared  un- 
compromising hostility  to  paper  money,  and  oppo- 
sition to  monopolies  and  the  creation  of  vested 
rights  by  legislation.  Its  principles  were  supported 
mainly  by  William  Leggett,  the  editor  of  the 
"Evening  Post."  This  was  the  party  whose  coup 
d'etat  in  getting  possession  of  Tammany  Hall,  we 
mentioned.  This  event  occurred  on  the  night  of 
October  29th,  1835. 

The  first  tanner  who  is  recorded  as  an  ofifice 
holder  in  New  York  City  was  Albert  Clock,  who 
was  Assistant  Alderman  of  the  "Dock  Ward"  from 
1710  to  1714.  The  next  was  Jeremiah  Wool,  who 
held  tlie  same  office  in  the  North  Ward  in  1783, 
and  was  yVlderman  of  the  South  Wg^rd  from  1784  to 
1791.  Thomas  Hazard,  a  currier,  was  Alderman  of 
the  East  Ward  in  1786  and  1787. 

John  P.  Anthony,  a  tanner,  was  a  prominent 
"Bucktail"  and  was  elected  an  Alderman  from  1819 
to  1827.  The  name  of  "Bucktail"  was  applied  to  the 
Republican  or  JefTersonian  party  during  this  time. 
Mr.  Anthony  was  elected  by  the  Jackson  Demo- 
crats as  Alderman  in  1827. 

Richard  Cunningham  first  appeared  in  the  Direc- 


POLITICS  IN  THE  SWAMP  13 

tory  for  1799  as  a  tanner  and  currier  at  No.  47  Ferry 
street.  He  took  as  partner  Hugh  McCormick,  and 
the  firm  of  Cunningham  &  McCormick  was  for 
many  years  well  known  in  the  Swamp.  William 
Kumbel  learned  his  trade  there.  Hugh  Mc- 
Cormick married  a  sister  of  Mr.  Kumbel.  Mr. 
Cunningham  lived  in  James  street.  He  was  an 
Alderman  in  1810,  181 1  and  1812.  In  1815  he  sold 
a  large  estate  on  Bloomingdale  road  to  Jacob  Loril- 
lard  for  $12,000.  Richard  Cunningham  died  in 
Newark  in  1840,  aged  seventy-five  years.  Hugh 
McCormick  died  in  1839,  aged  about  sixty-two 
years.  He  lived  at  the  time  in  Jacob  street,  the  third 
door  from  Frankfort,  on  the  right  hand  side.  There 
were  at  that  time  three  brick  houses  here,  and  in 
one  of  these  Mr.  McCormick  lived  and  died.  His 
grandson,  Richard  C.  McCormick,  was  born  in 
Jacob  street.  He  was  Governor  and  Delegate  to 
Congress  from  the  Territory  of  Arizona,  Assistant 
Treasurer  of  the  United  States  Treasury  and  Com- 
missioner to  the  World's  Fair  in  Paris  in  1878.  He 
married  a  daughter  of  Senator  Allen  G.  Thurman, 
of  Ohio. 

John  M.  Bloodgood  was  a  Sachem  of  Tammany 
and  a  noted  character  in  his  day.  He  succeeded  his 
father  in  business,  and  his  name  appears  in  the  di- 
rectory of  t8i6  as  a  currier,  at  No.  62  Frankfort 
street.  He  rebuilt  the  store  on  his  father's  old 
place,  did  business  as  a  boot  crimper  for  many 
years,  failed  and  retired  from  the  trade  about  1828. 
Alany  stories  are  related  about  Jack  Bloodgood. 


14  HISTORY    OF   THE    SWAMP 

He  was  for  some  years  a  Police  Mag-istrate,  and 
when  any  good  looking  girls  came  up  before  I'lim 
they  were  generally  let  off  after  receiving  a  little 
good  advice.  It  is  said  that  on  New  Year's  Day 
he  was  accustomed  to  go  among  his  acquaintances 
with  a  basket  which  he  filled  with  eatables  to  be 
distributed  among  the  poor.  He  would  carry  the 
basket  himself  through  the  purlieus  of  Baxter  street 
and  the  Five  Points. 

HIDE  AND  LEATHER  MERCHANTS 

The  early  members  of  the  trade  were  merchants 
on  a  small  scale.  They  bought  and  sold,  and  did 
a  good  deal  of  dickering  business.  They  had  close 
relations  with  oak  leather  tanners  in  Baltimore  and 
Philadelphia.  The  sailing  packets  brought  the 
leather  here.  There  was  very  little,  except  this 
oak  sole,  known.  There  were  tanneries  in  Massa- 
chusetts where  hemlock  bark  was  used  and  sole 
leather  made.  It  was  mostly  sold  and  used  there.  The 
first  hemlock  sole  leather  tannery  in  New  York  State 
located  at  Hunter,  was  considered  to  be  of  suffi- 
cient importance  to  be  mentioned  in  the  earliest 
United  States  census,  that  of  1810.  Its  capacity 
was  5,000  hides  a  year. 

A  change  was  gradually  being  forced  on  the 
leather  trade  of  New  York,  and,  indeed,  the  whole 
country.  There  was  a  line  being  drawn  between 
the  manufacturer  and  the  jobber.  This  line  was 
later  thoroughly  established.    There  was  no  more 


SWAMP  STREETS  15 

pretence  of  buying  and  selling  "hides,  leather  and 
oil,"  but  it  was  buying  hides  and  selling  the  leather. 
The  merchants  we  are  about  to  tell  of  were  the 
ones  who  inaugurated  this  trade,  but  they  were 
a  quarter  of  a  century  in  accomplishing  it. 

In  1 810,  as  we  learn  from  the  "Strangers  Guide 
to  New  York,"  Chatham  and  Frankfort  streets 
were  "elegant  streets,  the  most  spacious  in  the  city." 
Fulton  street  was  widened  that  year  and  lined  with 
fine  residences.  Mail  stages  left  daily  No.  i  Cort- 
landt  street  for  Boston  and  went  through  in  thirty- 
eight  hours;  fare,  $15.  Mali  stages  left  for  Wash- 
ington every  day,  fare  $24;  for  Philadelphia  every 
noon,  arriving  there  the  next  morning,  fare  $10.50. 
Such  were  the  methods  of  traveling  of  "the  fathers 
of  the  leather  trade." 


FRANKFORT   STREET 

The  principal  interest  of  Frankfort  street,  in  con- 
nection with  the  Swamp,  lies  in  the  fact  that  all  the 
first  tanneries  were  constructed  in  it  and  contiguous 
and  curriers  pursued  their  avocation  and  resided 
over  their  shops  in  this  thoroughfare. 

Frankfort  street  was  laid  out  in  1725  as  far  as 
Vandewater,  and  cut  through  to  Pearl  street  in 
1800.  It  was  the  northernmost  boundary  of  the 
Swamp.  There  were  fine  dwellings  in  the  street  a 
hundred  and  more  years  ago,  and  rich  merchants 
lived  there.    A  leading  citizen  was  Francis  Lewis, 


i6  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP 

a  hide  and  fur  merchant,  to  whom  reference  has 
already  been  made,  came  from  Wales  in  1735  and 
had  his  house  and  store  at  the  corner  of  Frankfort 
and  William  streets.  In  gathering  furs  and  buck- 
skins he  was  accustomed  to  travel  in  the  interior  ot 
New  York  State  and  was  at  Oswego  when  it  sur- 
rendered to  General  Montcalm.  The  Indians  mur- 
dered every  prisoner  then  taken  except  Francis 
Lewis.  It  was  said  that  the  Welsh  language  in 
which  he  addressed  them  was  so  nearly  like  their 
own  that  they  thought  they  recognized  in  him  a 
fellow  countryman.  There  is  a  legend  that  a  Prince 
of  Wales,  Madoc  by  name,  came  to  America  several 
hundred  years  ago  and  settled  a  colony  here. 
Southey  wrote  a  poem  on  this  foundation.  The 
historical  facts  are  that  Madoc,  a  son  of  Owen  Gwy- 
nette,  King  of  Wales,  sailed  in  1160  to  the  West 
with  a  shipload  of  adventurers,  and  after  several 
weeks 

"Like  a  cloud,  the  distant  land  arose 
Gray  from  the  ocean,  where  we  left  the  ship, 
And  cleft  with  rapid  oars  the  shallow  waves 
And  stood  triumphant  on  another  world." 

Madoc  returned  to  Wales,  took  more  emigrants, 
sailed  again  and  was  never  heard  from. 

Francis  Lewis  survived  the  massacre  of  Oswego, 
came  back,  traded  extensively,  and  in  1775  retired 
from  business,  rich.  In  April  of  that  year  he  was 
elected  to  the  Continental  Congress  at  Philadel- 


SWAMP  STREETS  17 

phia  and  his  name  appears  among  the  signers  of 
the  Declaration  of  Independence. 

The  second  son  of  Francis  Lewis  was  Morgan 
Lewis,  who  at  a  later  date  also  became  eminent. 
He  was  elected  Governor  of  New  York  in  1804, 
defeating  Aaron  Burr,  and  was  a  Major  General  in 
the  war  of  1812.  He  was  a  Grand  Master  of  Masons 
in  1830.  Both  father  and  son  are  buried  in  Trinity 
churchyard. 

The  fashionable  shoemaker  of  New  York,  before 
and  for  some  years  after  the  Revolution,  was  An- 
thony Bolton.  His  house  and  shop  were  at  No.  13 
Frankfort  street.  His  son,  Thomas  Bolton,  while 
making  shoes  also  studied  law  in  his  father's  house. 
He  became  a  City  Alderman,  president  of  the 
Phoenix  Insurance  Company,  and  from  1830  to 
about  1840  was  clerk  of  the  Common  Council. 

The  "Swamp  Church"  was  a  landmark  on  h^-ank- 
fort  street,  near  Vandewater  street,  for  many  years. 
Philip  Lydig,  who  lived  at  the  southeast  corner  of 
Gold  and  Ferry  streets,  was  largely  instrumental 
in  raising  the  building  fund  for  this  church,  which 
w'as  erected  in  1766.  During  the  Revolution  it  was 
occupied  by  the  British  troops.  ]\Iany  of  them  were 
buried  in  the  adjoining  cemetery.  Dr.  Christopher 
Kunzee  preached  in  the  Swamp  Church  from  about 
1800  to  1820.  Dr.  Kunzee's  daughter  married 
Jacob  Lorillard,  the  tanner. 

Tammany  Hall  was  at  the  head  of  Frankfort 
street,  where  the  "Sun"  building  now  stands.  It 
was  one  of  the  finest  buildings  in  the  city  at  the  be- 


i8  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP 

ginning  of  this  century.  The  "Pewter  Mug,"  just 
in  its  rear,  was  a  noted  poHtical  rendezvous. 

Some  of  the  men  who  stood  high  in  poUtical  and 
social  circles  one  hundred  years  ago  lived  in  Frank- 
fort street.  Prominent  among  them  was  David  Bry- 
son,  whose  fine  residence  with  its  garden  stood  op- 
posite Gold  street.  His  curryingshop  was  next  door. 
His  son,  Peter  Bryson,  who  was  president  of  the 
Phoenix  Bank,  sold  the  property  to  Thomas  Smull 
and  others  in  1861.  It  was  afterwards  acquired  by 
the  city,  later  for  the  Brooklyn  Bridge. 

Abraham  Bloodgood  lived  and  sold  leather  in 
Frankfort  street  at  the  head  of  Jacob  street.  His 
son,  John  Bloodgood,  an  influential  Tammany  poli- 
tician (as  also  had  been  the  father),  built  a  store  on 
that  site  in  1829  and  made  uppers  for  the  findings 
trade.  ''Swamp  Place"  was  conspicuously  painted 
on  his  store.  Philip  J.  Arcularius,  a  tanner,  lived 
at  No.  14.  His  daughter  was  married  in  that  house 
to  James  Harper,  of  Harper  Brothers,  who  was 
afterwards  Mayor  of  New  York.  The  Forty-second 
street  reservoir,  which  has  just  been  torn  down  to 
make  room  for  the  new  Public  Library,  was  built 
during  Mayor  Harper's  term  of  ofifice.  Horace 
Greely  lived  in  Frankfort  street  when  he  was  editor 
of  the  ''New  Yorker."  Charlotte  Cushman  lived 
there  in  1842  and  was  accustomed  to  pass  through 
Gold  street  every  day  to  rehearse  at  the  theatre  in 
Park  Row,  opposite  the  Astor  House. 

Daniel  Tooker  and  Daniel  Tooker,  Jr.,  were  op- 
ulent tanners  about  the  year  1800,  whose  land  ex- 


SWAMP  STREETS  19 

tended  for  some  distance  on  Frankfort  street. 
Barnes  &  Merritt  built  at  No.  57  on  these  premises. 
G.  B.  Horton  built  the  store  No.  63,  with  an  L  ex- 
tending to  Jacob  street.  During  the  building  tanned 
seal  skins  were  found  in  vats  on  this  site. 

JACOB   STREET 

This  short  thoroughfore,  laid  out  in  1740,  is  only 
one  block  in  length  and  has  always  been  devoted  to 
tanning.  Tanneries  and  stores  were  here  when 
the  street  was  widened  to  its  present  width  in  1789- 
The  stores  now  in  Jacob  street  were  built  during 
the  following  century,  but  they  have  received  ad- 
ditional stories  and  improved  fronts,  so  they  give  no 
idea  of  their  original  appearance.  The  largest 
structure  on  Jacob  street,  and  for  many  years  the 
largest  in  New  York,  is  located  at  the  southeast 
corner  of  Frankfort  street,  and  was  built  by  Henry 
A.  Burr  in  1852.  He  invented  some  improvement  in 
the  manufacture  of  the  bodies  of  silk  hats  and  made 
a  great  fortune.  Before  his  time,  however,  James 
Kerrigan  conducted  a  morocco  factory  on  this  spot. 
Austin  Melvin  owned  the  land  afterwards,  purchas- 
ing from  Sir  Edmund  Hayes,  an  English  baronet, 
in  18,^7.  Rees  &  Hoyt  and  E.  A.  Smith,  both  of 
whom  later  became  rich  and  successful,  commenced 
business  here.  At  No.  14  there  is  a  now  a  six-story 
structure  built  in  recent  years  and  never  occupied 
for  the  leather  business.  On  this  spot  Israel  Corse 
commenced   business   in   a   small   two-story  store. 


20  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP 

and  when  he  retired  in  1831  Jonathan  Thorne  be- 
came its  occupant. 

Another  old  bnilding  stood  at  No.  12.  Its  ownet 
was  Peter  McCartee.  His  mother  Hved  on  the 
premises  and  both  house  and  lot  were  mortgaged. 
The  son  finished  his  apprenticeship  as  a  currier  in 
1 791.  Ten  years  after  he  paid  ofif  the  mortgage, 
built  upon  the  property  a  currying  shop  and  a  resi- 
dence for  himself  and  his  mother,  who  lived  to  a 
good  old  age  to  enjoy  her  son's  prosperity.  Peter 
McCartee  died  in  1834.  He  had  been  a  leather  in- 
spector for  thirty-five  years.  His  son,  Rev.  Robert 
McCartee,  was  for  many  years  pastor  of  the  Canal 
street  Presbyterian  Church.  Elijah  T.  Brown  com- 
menced business  at  No.  14. 

No.  10  has  a  notable  history.  Shepherd  Knapp 
built  this  store  in  1842.  G.  Lee  Knapp  &  Palen 
sold  leather  there.  James  Palen,  the  junior  part- 
ner, died  in  1846,  and  in  1847  ^^is  nephew,  William 
Palen,  took  his  place  in  the  firm  which  did  not 
change  its  name.  Charles  D.  Bigelow  occupied 
No.  10  as  a  shoe  factory  about  1852  and  here  the 
first  shoe  pegging  machine  was  successfully  used 
by  him.  A  foreman  afterwards  testified  in  a  law 
suit  against  the  owners  of  infringing  machines  that 
it  would  "peg  around  a  large  sized  men's  brogan 
in  one  minute,  and  the  work  was  done  much  better 
than  by  hand,  both  as  regards  uniformity  and  firm- 
ness." David  MofTat  bought  No.  10  several  years 
ago  and  his  firm  now  use  it  for  finishing  harness 
leather. 


SWAMP  STREETS  21 

At  No.  8  was  "Jacob's  Well."  About  1820  this 
was  a  famous  "Spa."  A  running  spring  had  a 
reputation  for  health-giving  mineral  qualities.  A 
building  of  Moorish  architecture  was  erected  and 
a  company  formed  to  develope  the  spring.  The 
New  Yorkers  of  that  day  came  every  morning  to 
take  the  waters.  Sixpence  a  drink  was  charged. 
At  last  somebody  discovered  that  the  remarkable 
properties  of  the  water  were  due  to  the  fact  that 
its  course  to  the  outlet  of  the  spring  lay  through 
old  tan  pits.  The  bubble  burst  and  Loring  An- 
drews hired  the  building  for  a  leather  store.  John 
E.  Cammeyer,  father  of  Alfred  J.  Cammeyer,  the 
Sixth  avenue  shoe  retailer,  had  a  sheep  skin  fac- 
tory at  the  same  place.  John  McColgan  after- 
wards owned  and  operated  a  morocco  factory 
tliere. 

A.  H.  Brahe,  a  calf  skin  importer,  built  No.  6. 
Samuel  T.  Keesc  used  it  as  a  sole  leather  store, 
and  afterwards  John  Dunphy  conducted  there  his 
calf  skin  business.  No.  6  Jacob  street  was  sold 
by  the  Brahe  heirs  for  about  $10,000  to  John  Mc- 
Colgan. Mr.  Brahe  also  built  No.  4  in  which 
Horace  M.  Warren  made  morocco.  Mr.  Warren 
began  business  in  1837.  He  died  in  February, 
1 901.  No.  4  was  bought  by  Scofield  &  Stevenson 
for  $9,600.  It  is  now  owned  by  Walter  Stevenson, 
who  has  remodeled  and  enlarged  it. 

The  store,  No.  2  Jacob  street,  was  built  by  John 
H.  Bowie  about  1852.  Long  before  that  time 
Anthony  Boyer  had  a  kid  leather  factory  on  the 


22  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP 

premises.  He  had  left  France  during  the  "Reign 
of  Terror"  and  was  the  first  person  to  make  fancy 
colored  leather  in  New  York.  James  Kerrigan 
began  and  continued  his  business  here  until  he 
moved  to  the  corner  of  Ferry  and  Gold  streets. 
A  last  maker  named  Thompson  occupied  the  upper 
story  at  that  time.  His  son  was  known  as  "One- 
eyed  Thompson,"  a  noted  confidence  man  of  half 
a  century  ago.  The  property  is  now  owned  by  the 
Havemeyer  estate. 

On  the  west  side  of  Jacob  street  Jonathan  La- 
baw,  a  leather  dealer,  built  Nos.  i  and  3  in  1837. 
George  Evans  &  Son  and  Thomas  Scott,  Son  & 
Co.,  occupied  these  stores  from  that  time  up  to  a 
recent  period. 

William  H.  Hoople  built  No.  5  for  David  Mof- 
fat. The  rental  of  so  large  a  place  caused  Mr. 
Moffat  to  hesitate  about  taking  it,  but  he  solved 
the  problem  by  fitting  up  the  upper  part  for  a 
dwelling  house  after  the  manner  of  that  time,  and 
used  the  remainder  for  making  his  fine  harness 
leather.  About  1870  Mr.  Mofifat  bought  and  oc- 
cupied No.  5,  7  and  9  Jacob  street,  as  well  as  No. 
10  opposite. 

Between  No.  9  and  the  corner  of  Frankfort  street 
there  stood  a  block  of  three-story  yellow  brick 
buildings.  They  were  built  by  Charles  P.  Miller, 
a  tanner,  in  1829.  John  McDermott,  now  of  Mc- 
Dermott  &  Howard,  commenced  business  there 
in  1844.  The  Journeymen  Morocco  Company,  of 
which  he  was  president,  occupied  two  of  the  build- 


SWAMP  STREETS  23 

ings.  Here  Thomas  Smull  commenced  business 
about  1833.  Richard  C.  McCormick,  ex-Governor 
and  Senator  from  Arizona,  was  born  in  one  of 
these  houses.  His  fatlier  and  grandfather  were 
tanners.  Moses  Ely,  an  uncle  of  Ambrose  K.  Ely, 
conducted  a  tannery  on  this  spot,  now  occupied  by 
a  one-story  building  used  for  the  storage  of  hides, 
and  owned  by  A.  K.  Ely.  The  store  next  to  the 
corner  of  Frankfort  street  was  built  by  Gurdon  B. 
Horton  and  used  by  him  for  some  years  as  a 
leather  store.  Tan  vats  and  a  tanned  hide  were 
found  in  making  the  excavation. 

FERRY   STREET 

This  street  was  laid  out  in  1740,  and  its  width 
has  never  been  changed.  There  are  only  a  few 
modern  buildings  in  Ferry  street.  Most  of  thetn 
were  built  by  merchants  whose  fortunes  were  accu- 
mulated in  that  locality. 

The  large  six-story  structure  on  the  southeast 
corner  of  Ferry  and  Gold  streets  was  built  in  1845 
by  Charles  W.  Trotter,  a  morocco  manufacturer. 
Israel  Corse,  Jr.,  Stout  &  Tuttle  and  H.  D.  Hull  & 
Co.  successively  did  business  on  this  corner.  No. 
4  was  also  built  by  Mr.  Trotter  and  occupied  by 
Van  Wagenar  &  Tuttle  until  1873,  when  Henry 
Arthur,  who  was  then  occupying  the  corner,  leased 
it  in  order  to  enlarge  his  leather  and  findings  es- 
tablishment. Nos.  6  and  8  were  built  by  Eugene 
Keteltas,  a  leather  dealer.   Wm.  Rutter,  J.  B.&T. 


HISTORY    OF   THE    SWAM  I 


SWAMP  STREETS  25 

Johnson  and  S.  W.  Baldwin  &  Son  were  success- 
ively occiipanls  of  No.  6.  At  No.  8  M.  Armstrong 
commenced  business  when  he  first  came  into  the 
Swamp.  In  1869  and  for  several  years  afterwards 
Maurice  S.  Kerrigan  used  this  store  for  his  mo- 
rocco business. 

The  Oilman  family  owned  No.  10  for  several 
years.  \\\  W.  Gilnian  had  a  leather  store  there. 
His  son  succeeded  but  did  not  remain  long  in  the 
trade.  Joseph  Hecht  bought  the  premises  about 
1894  and  enlarged  and  greatly  improved  them. 
Sellman  &  Co.  are  the  occupants. 

At  No.  14  (there  is  no  No.  12)  Jacob  Lorillard 
v.-as  a  special  partner  and  he  built  the  store  in  1839 
for  Isaac  BuUard.  W'lien  the  estate  of  BuUard  & 
Co.  was  settled,  Louis  H.  Bullard  bought  this 
property. 

The  store,  No.  18,  was  built  by  Ogden  E.  Ed- 
wards, son  of  William  Edwards,  the  celebrated 
tanner,  and  grandson  of  the  great  theologian  of 
Western  Massachusetts,  Jonathan  Edwards.  Og- 
den E.  Edwards  failed  and  the  building,  which  had 
been  mortgaged  for  $25,000,  was  sold  to  Jonathan 
Thorne,  who  enlarged  and  improved  it.  The  firms 
with  which  he  was  connected  afterwards  occupied 
it  as  long  as  they  continued  in  business. 

The  stores  No.  20  and  No.  22,  built  by  Gideon 
Lee  about  1820  and  enlarged  later,  were  occupied 
successively  by  Gideon  Lee  &  Co,  Leupp  &  Burke, 
Chas.  M.  Leupp  &  Co.  and  W.  Creighton  Lee 
and  his  sons  under  the  firm  name  of  Lee  &  Co. 


HISTORY    OF   THE   SWAMP 


SWAMP  STREETS  2i 

These  stores  were  thus  used  by  firms  connected 
with  the  Lee  family  from  1820  to  1893. 

At  Nos.  26  and  28  James  Meinel  in  1837  built  a 
store  which  he  used  for-  his  leather  business.  Lor- 
ing  Andrews  afterwards  leased  it.  In  this  firm, 
when  they  located,  Ariel  Low,  of  Boston,  came  as 
a  partner  about  1840,  but  became  discouraged  in 
one  year  and  returned  to  Boston.  Anson  Lap- 
ham  and  his  firms  afterwards  occupied  the  store. 
Henry  G.  Lapham  bought  it  and  in  1876  erected 
the  large  structure  now  occupied  as  the  main  offices 
of  the  United  States  Leather  Company. 

In  the  upper  floors  of  the  building  at  No.  30  the 
"Eclectic  Fraternity"  flourished  from  1834  to  1840. 
Matthew  Carroll,  once  connected  with  Gideon  Lee, 
built  this  store.  His  son,  Nicholas,  succeeded  to 
his  father's  business.  He  was  a  politician,  a  friend 
of  Henry  Clay,  and  early  left  the  leather  trade.  J. 
S.  Rockwell  &  Co.  commenced  their  business 
career  in  New  York  on  this  spot. 

Valentine  Everit  built  No.  32  in  February,  1825. 
It  was  occupied  by  \ .  Everit  &  Co.  and  their  suc- 
cessors for  half  a  century.  The  Roosevelt  estate 
owned  the  ground  and  leased  it  to  Mr.  Everit  at  a 
rental  of  $3,000  for  twenty  years,  the  building  to 
revert  to  the  owner  of  the  land  at  the  expiration  of 
the  lease.  It  is  now  owned  by  the  Roosevelt  Hos- 
pital. Isaac  Hyde,  Jr.,  and  T.  S.  Chapman  com- 
menced business  here. 

The  stores  Nos.  36  and  38  were  originally  occu- 
pied by  Van  Woert  &  Eraser  and  Van  Nostrand  & 


HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP, 


SWAMP  STREETS  29 

Co.  Wm.  H.  Hoople  built  one  and  rebuilt  the  other. 
Charles  A.  Schieren  bought  both  ol  them  from 
Wm.  G.  Hoople  in  1899.  They  are  connected  with 
i'.y  Cliff  street  and  together  make  a  present  holding 
by  Mr,  Schieren  of  7,000  scjuare  feet. 

The  stores  Nos.  46  and  48  were  built  by  E.  K. 
Pritchett,  of  Pritchett,  Baugh  &  Co.,  were  occupied 
by  Bulkley  &  Brooks  and  H.  J.  Brooks  &  Co., 
Pritchett,  Baugh  &  Co.,  of  Philadelphia,  owned 
tliem  until  1886,  when  they  were  sold  to  E.  Von 
Feldc,  who  kept  a  restaurant  on  Cliff  street.  The 
store  No.  50  was  built  by  Wm.  H.  Hoople,  who 
left  it  by  will  to  his  grand  nephew,  William  How- 
ard Hoople. 

Below  this,  on  the  corner  of  Pearl  street,  is  a 
hotel  built  early  in  this  century.  The  waters  of 
the  East  River  are  said  to  have  readied  nearly  to 
this  point  a  hundred  years  or  more  ago.  From  the 
old  ferry  to  Brooklyn  the  street  received  its  name. 
Near  here  and  in  Peck  Slip  were  two  eminent  hide 
firms. 

The  three  brothers  of  the  Hicks  family  were 
great  merchants.  The}'  did  business  at  No.  345 
Pearl  street.  Isaac  Hicks  was  the  founder.  He 
commenced  in  1796.  Jacob  Barker  was  brought 
up  in  his  office.  Samuel  and  Valentine  Hicks  were 
his  brothers  and  partners.  The  firm  became  Hicks, 
Jenkins  &  Co.  later. 

Another  house  was  founded  by  Whitehead 
Hicks.  This  was  in  1870.  His  sons,  Gilbert  and 
Robert  T.,  succeeded.     The  firm  became  G.  &  R. 


HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP. 


SWAMP  STREETS  31 

T.  Hicks.  They  owned  vessels  and  traded  with 
South  America.  Through  deaHngs  with  tanners  in 
the  Swamp  R.  T.  became  acquainted  with  Thomas 
Everit,  a  hide  and  leather  dealer  in  Ferry  street. 
In  1822  he  married  Thomas  Everit's  daughter, 
and  in  1848  retired  from  business  rich,  and  lived 
at  Poughkeepsie. 

Comfort  and  Joshua  Sands  were  merchants  be- 
fore the  Revolution.  They  did  business  in  Peck 
Slip.  The  first  ferry  from  Brooklyn  ran  from  the 
slip.  In  1800  they  bought  a  property,  160  acres, 
there,  and  built  ropewalks,  wharves  and  buildings 
just  across  the  East  river.  Sands  street  runs 
through  it.  Comfort  Sands,  before  the  war,  was 
one  of  a  party  that  took  ten  bales  of  stamp  paper 
from  a  British  brig  at  Peck  Slip  and  burned  them. 
During  the  war  he  fled  to  Philadelphia,  and  the 
British  burned  his  books  and  papers.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  first  Continental  Congress,  but  only 
served  the  first  term,  so  he  did  not  have  the  privi- 
lege of  signing  the  Declaration.  In  1776  he  con- 
tracted to  furnish  the  American  army  with  clothing 
and  shoes.  He  bought  all  the  shoes  he  could  in 
Newark,  Worcester  and  Lynn,  but  it  was  impossi- 
ble to  obtain  a  supply.  They  could  not  be  made. 
In  1783  he  engaged  in  business  again,  with  his 
brother  Joshua  as  partner.  They  traded  in  South 
American  produce,  and  imported  hides  as  they 
were  wanted.  Joshua  Sands  was  appointed  Col- 
lector of  the  Port  of  New  York  by  John  Adams. 
Comfort  Sands  was  a  director  in  the  first  bank  and 
insurance  company  in  New  York,  and  president  of 


22  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP. 

the  Chamber  of  Commerce  1794  to  1798. 

FERRY  STREET,  NORTH  SIDE 
The  premises,  Nos.  i,  3  and  5  Ferry  street,  north 
side,  and  88  and  90  Gold  street,  are  now  covered 
by  one  great  structure,  called  from  Aaron  Healy, 
its  builder,  the  "Healy  Building."  In  1827  James 
Kerrigan  had  a  morocco  factory  there  and  lived  in 
Gold  street  adjoining.  At  Nos.  3  and  5,  in  a  three- 
story  yellow  brick  store,  Austin  Melvin  com- 
menced business  in  1830.  He  remained  there  until 
1842,  when  Gilman,  Smull  &  Co.  took  the  store.  A 
relative  of  Mr.  Gilman  came  here  as  a  boy.  He  be- 
came a  partner  in  Gilman,  Smull  &  Co.  and  in  all 
the  firms  that  were  their  successors,  and  did  busi- 
ness as  man  and  boy  on  this  spot  from  1844  to  the 
time  he  retired  in  1893.  His  name  was  Aaron 
Healy.  He  bought  these  properties  in  1865  and  in 
1890  built  the  substantial  brick  ten-story  structure 
that  occupies  the  northeast  corner  of  Gold  and 
Ferry  streets.  It  is  a  fitting  monument  to  a  saga- 
cious and  honest  merchant,  one  of  those  who  made 
the  New  York  hide  and  leather  trade  honored  in 
every  part  of  the  world. 

The  store  No.  7  is  owned  by  Mrs.  Livingston,  a 
granddaughter  of  James  Meinel.  Elijah  T.  Brown 
and  Keek  &  Morser  were  early  occupants. 

Wm.  Alburtis,  a  hide  dealer,  built  No.  9  and  oc- 
cupied it.  Smith  Ely,  Jr.,  there  sold  oak  sole  and 
Henry  McClellan  afterwards  union  and  hemlock 
leather.  Then  Isaac  Hyde,  Jr.,  bought  the  prop- 
erty.    A.   K.   Ely  owns    it.     The    store    No    n 


SWAMP  STREETS  33 

was  owned  by  Wm.  H.  Hoople,  wlio  sold  it  to 
Charles  H.  Isham.  A.  &  J.  Mattison,  Mattison  & 
Isham  and  Mattison  &  ]\IcCoy  were  tenants  here  in 
olden  time. 

There  are  no  stores  nnmbered  13  and  15  on  this 
street.  The  large  stores  17  and  19,  corner  of  Jacob 
street,  were  built  by  Benjamin  INIarsh,  a  leather 
dealer,  in  1834.  George  Palen  commenced  busi- 
ness there  in  1840.  William  and  Oliver  Hoyt  occu- 
pied the  lofts  for  several  years.  M.  Armstrong  & 
Sons  located  their  findings  store  there  and  pur- 
chased the  building.  Then  Heubner  &  HeFler  oc~ 
cupied  it.  William  H.  Heller,  the  genial  manager 
for  the  Pfister  &  Vogel  Leather  Company  and  his 
brother,  Charles  F.  Heller,  own  it  now. 

The  premises  No  23,  the  northeast  corner  of 
Jacob  street,  were  originally  owned  by  the  Roose- 
velts,  ancestors  of  Governor  Theodore  Roosevelt. 
They  owned  much  Swamp  property  and  had 
a  sugar  house  in  Jacob  street  before  the  Revolu- 
tion. Jacob  Lorillard  bought  the  land  and  built  a 
store.  James  R.  Smith  purchased  it  and  made  mo- 
rocco leather  in  the  building  for  many  years.  After 
his  death  it  was  sold  to  Felix  Kaufman,  manu- 
facturer of  Excelsior  calfskins,  in  1882.  He  fitted 
it  up  in  modern  style. 

John  H.  Bowie,  belting  manufacturer,  built  No. 
25  about  1852.  The  building  joins  in  the  rear  No. 
3  Jacob  street. 

At  No.  27,  in  a  small  wooden  building,  H.  D. 
Hull  commenced  business.     After  him  came  Hans 


34  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP. 

Rees,  who  made  an  ample  fortune  in  the  Httle 
structure.  The  present  building  was  erected  by  A. 
H.  Brahe,  a  calfskin  importer,  in  1852.  Mattison 
&  McCoy  were  once  located  here,  and  J.  H.  Ross- 
bad  &  Co.  have  fitted  up  the  store  in  elegant  style. 

Jonathan  Trotter,  first  Mayor  of  Brooklyn,  built 
No.  29  and  conducted  there  a  business  in  sheep- 
skins. Chatfield  &  Underwood  also  occupied  these 
premises,  which  are  now  owned  by  Joseph  Heclit. 

No.  31  and  No.  33  were  built  by  Israel  Corse, 
Sr.,  in  1825.  James  Knox  Polk,  his  grandson,  in- 
herited these  stores.  In  No.  33  William  Kumbel, 
the  first  leather  belting  manufacturer,  was  located 
for  many  years. 

At  No.  35  John  E.  Cammeyer  did  business. 
David  MofTat  &  Co.  now  own  the  premises. 

In  1830  Jacob  Lorillard  built  No.  37  at  the  cor- 
ner of  Clifif  street.  It  was  at  that  time  far  superior  to 
any  other  structure  in  the  Swamp.  It  was  rented 
by  sealed  bids  to  Smith  &  Schultz  for  five  years  at 
Si, 001  a  year.  David  Moffat  &  Co.  now  own 
No.  37. 

The  building  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Ferry 
and  ClifT  streets,  also  80  ClifT  street,  adjoining, 
were  built  by  J.  S.  Rockwell  &  Co.  The  Rockwell 
estate  still  own  them.  Charles  A.  Schieren,  of 
Charles  A.  Schieren  &  Co.,  who  occupy  these 
stores  for  their  belting  business,  tried  to  buy  them, 
but  the  Rockwell  heirs  declined  to  sell  because  the 
family  fortune  had  been  largely  made  on  that  spot. 
The  buildings  further  down  Ferry  street  have  not 


SWAMP  STREETS  35 

been  identified  with  the  leather  business. 
CLIFF  STREET. 

This  street  was  originally  called  Skinner  street, 
because  it  was  the  place  where  hides  and  skins  were 
offered  for  sale  by  butchers.  This  traffic  w^as  prin- 
cipally carried  on  between  Ferry  and  Beekman 
street.  The  street  was  extended  in  1740  by  cutting 
through  from  Ferry  to  Frankfort  street.  It  was 
the  old  time  custom  of  butchers  to  sell  hides  with 
the  horns  and  tail  on.  Hides  and  skins  were  col- 
lected all  over  the  city,  brought  to  the  Swamp  and 
trimmed  and  salted  down  in  the  cellars  of  the  mer- 
chants. Quarterly  and  yearly  settlements  were 
made.  These  times  of  settlement  were  attended 
with  considerable  dissipation  such  as  one  rarely 
sees  nowadays  in  the  hours  of  business.  From 
Christmas  to  New  Years  hot  spiced  rum  was  freely 
served.  In  1837  prices  were  so  low  tuat  butchers 
refused  to  make  the  usual  contracts  and  formed  the 
"Butchers'  Hide  and  Melting  Association."  They 
were  very  successful  and  built  the  large  establish- 
ment for  their  business  located  between  Forty- 
fourth  and  Forty-fifth  streets  on  the  East  River. 
Clifif  street  was  not  occupied  by  the  leather  trade 
until  1859,  when  the  large  stores,  92  and  94,  were 
built  by  Thomas  Fraser,  Brother  &  Co.,  No.  96  by 
Jackson  S.  Schultz  and  Edmund  M.  Young,  and 
98  by  Joseph  Mattison,  of  Mattison  &  McCoy.  In 
i860  and  subsequently  they  were  occupied  Ky  these 
firms.  Joseph  Heclit  &  Sons  purchased  them  and 
own  them  all.     The  American  Hide  and  Leather 


36  HISTORY    OF   THE    SWAMP. 

Company  occupy  them.  No.  80  was  built  by  the 
Goelet  estate  and  occupied  a  quarter  of  a  century 
ago  by  Walker  &  Bulkley  and  afterwards  by  G.  B. 
Horton  &  Co.  J.  S.  Rockwell  afterwards  bought 
it  and  used  it  for  his  sheepskin  business.  Charles 
A.  Schieren  &  Co.  occupy  it  now.  This  building 
extends  through  to  Pearl  street. 

The  store  No.  64  was  built  by  Willets  &  Co.  in 
1840.  This  firm  had  been  even  twenty  years  before 
that  time  engaged  in  the  hardware  and  oil  business 
on  Pearl  street.  They  were  engaged  in  the  hide 
and  leather  business  in  Cliff  street  for  a  numbr  of 
years  prior  to  1893.  No.  67  was  built  by  Jonathan 
Trotter^  a  sheepskin  tanner.  Wm.  H.  Hoople  oc- 
cupied and  afterwards  bought  it.  Charles  A. 
Schieren  now  owns  it.  Schultz,  Southwick  &  Co., 
Fawcett,  Benedict  &  Co.,  Abram  S.  Smith  and 
Thompson,  WyckofT  &  Co.  occupied  stores  south 
of  Ferry  street  for  a  short  term,  and  Loring  An- 
drews &  Sons  were  located  here  just  before  they 
went  out  of  business. 

The  Mercantile  Library  was  first  established  on 
Cliff  street,  where  Harper  Brothers'  building  now 
stands.  Wm.  H.  Hoople  resided  at  No.  66,  Jack- 
son S.  Schultz  at  No.  70,  Jonathan  Thorne  at  No. 
83  and  Loring  Andrews  at  No.  79  Cliff  street  for 
several  years  up  to  about  1848. 

GOLD  STREET 

This  prominent  Swamp  thoroughfare  was  laid 
out  in  1720  to  Beekman  and  Spruce,  and  cut 
through  to  Frankfort  street  in   1790.     A  piece  of 


SWAMP  STREETS  37 

land,  loo  X  25,  was  taken  from  the  tannery  of 
Daniel  Stanbury  for  that  purpose.  It  was  widened, 
north  of  Fulton  street,  in  1834.  It  was  previously 
the  same  width  that  it  is  now  south  of  Fulton 
street.  The  cost  to  the  city  of  this  widening  was 
$80,963.62. 

FIRST  PUBLIC  READING  ROOM 

The  first  public  reading  room  in  America  was 
established  in  New  York  by  Adrien  Van  Hook,  the 
owner  of  a  tanyard  in  Gold  street,  in  the  Swamp. 

"It  was,"  says  the  "Farmers'  Weekly  Museum" 
of  January  7,  1799,  "sufficiently  encouraged  during 
his  lifetime,  but  upon  his  unfortunate  decease  was 
closed,  to  the  regret  of  the  lovers  of  literature." 

Only  the  two  blocks  at  the  northern  end  of  Gold 
street  were  ever  occupied  by  the  leather  trade.  On 
them  some  of  the  larger  firms  have  at  times  been 
located. 

The  brick  block  on  the  west  side,  near  the  corner 
of  Frankfort  street,  was  built  by  Ambrose  K.  Ely. 
Nos.  loi  and  103  were  erected  in  1859  and  A.  K. 
Ely  and  Smith  Ely,  Jr.,  occupied  the  corner,  where 
they  have  continued  even  up  to  the  present  time. 
In  1863  Mr.  Ely  built  Nos.  97  and  99  in  the  same 
style  as  the  two  older  .ones.  Walker  &  Bulkley 
(Evan  Walker  and  Edward  W.  Bulkley)  com- 
menced as  a  firm  in  No.  99. 

No.  93  was  built  by  William  B.  Isham  in  1857. 
Wm.  B.  Isham  &  Gallup  occupied  it  for  many 
years.  No.  91  was  built  l)y  Sanuiel  Isham,  an  elder 
brother  of  Charles  H.   Isham,  who  owns  it  now. 


38  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP. 

The  small  store,  No.  89,  was  leased  in  1855  to 
Israel  Corse.  This,  with  the  large  stores  in  the 
rear,  were  occupied  by  the  firms  of  Mr.  Corse. 
After  he  retired  from  business  Pickard  &  Andre- 
sen,  hide  brokers,  took  the  front  part  of  the 
premises. 

The  buildings  Nos.  85  and  87  were  built  by 
Jacob  Lorillard  in  1835  and  leased  to  Wm.  P.  Mil- 
ler and  George  and  James  Brooks.  Mr.  Lorillard 
also  tried  to  secure  the  corner  of  Gold  and  Spruce 
streets,  but  what  he  considered  an  exorbitant  price 
was  demanded  and  he  dropped  negotiations.  A. 
L.  Knight  now  owns  that  corner.  On  the  south- 
west corner  of  Gold  and  Spruce  streets  is  a  two- 
story  building  used  as  a  liquor  store.  Two  stores 
below,  Nos.  73  and  75  Gold  street,  are  owned  by 
Justus  L.  Bulkley. 

The  large  building  at  the  corner  of  Frankfort 
street,  on  the  east  side  of  Gold  street,  was  occupied 
by  a  colored  man  named  P.  A.  White  as  a  drug 
store. 

No.  98  was  built  in  1857  by  George  F.  Gilman,  a 
son  of  Nathaniel  Gilman.  He  occupied  it  as  a  hide 
and  leather  store  until  about  the  time  of  the  war, 
George  F.  Gilman  died  early  in  1901,  leaving  a 
great  fortune  for  lawyers  to  battle  over.  His 
father's  will  was  in  court  for  thirty  years.  An  old 
paper,  speaking  of  him,  said  of  his  store  :  "He  occu- 
pied it  in  the  hide  and  leather  business  until  about 
the  commeencement  of  the  war,  when,  finding  the 
leather  business   dull,   he   commenced  In  the  tea 


SWAMP  STREETS  39 

trade,  making  this  his  warehouse.  From  here  he 
removed  his  office  to  Front  street,  and  became  sub- 
sequently the  proprietor  of  the  Great  American 
Tea  Company  and  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  Tea 
Company,  having  seventy-five  different  tea  stores 
in  various  parts  of  the  country,  and  his  gorgeous 
six-horse  trucks,  with  blazoned  lettering,  and  splen- 
didly caparisoned  horses,  bedecked  with  tinkling 
bells,  are  the  admiration  of  all  the  small  boys  in 
town." 

Edward  ]\IcClellan,  who  married  a  daughter  ot 
Nathaniel  Oilman,  continued  the  leather  busmess 
for  some  years  afterwards  at  that  place.  He  lives 
in  Danbury,  Conn.,  and  his  daughter,  Caroline 
McClellan,  now  owns  98  Gold  street,  which  has  an 
ell  running  to  53  Frankfort  street. 

Nos.  92,  94  and  96  are  owned  by  Ambrose  K. 
Ely.  This  property,  209  feet  deep,  runs  through  to 
Jacob  street  and  is  72  feet  front  on  both  streets. 

The  "Healy  Building"  standing  at  Nos.  88  and 
90  Gold  street,  we  have  spoken  of  in  our  article  on 
Ferry  street. 

The  building  No.  82  Gold  street  was  erected  by 
John  Bolden  in  1851  and  occupied  by  him  up  to 
i860.  Henry  Heyland,  a  calfskin  dealer,  owns  it 
now.  Nos.  78  and  80  were  old  dwellings,  remodeled 
in  1 86 1.  Hurley  &  Miles,  leather  dealers,  occupied 
them  and  William  Miles  owns  them. 

Nos.  72  to  76  (there  is  no  74)  were  built  by  Jacob 
Lorillard  in  1845.  Nathaniel  Gilman  &  Sons  first 
occupied    these    stores.      Justus    Bulkley    is    their 


40  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP. 

l^resent  owner. 

The  store  No.  76  was  sold  at  auction  by  the  Loril- 
lard  estate  in  1853  for  $25,000,  John  Watson  being 
the  purchaser.  He  sold  it  the  same  day  to  Jona- 
than  Thorne  for  $27,000. 

Loring  Andrews  moved  to  No.  72  from  Ferry 
street.  He  bought  the  property  and  built  the  large 
stores  in  the  rear.  Hoyt  Brothers  took  these  stores 
and  now  they  are  used  for  the  business  of  the 
United  States  Leather  Company. 

No.  68  was  built  by  John  Watson  for  Robertson 
&  Butman.  Beyond  this  point  no  stores  on  Gold 
street  have  ever  been  used  for  the  leather  business. 
SPRUCE  STREET 

It  is  only  in  times  comparatively  recent  that 
Spruce  street  has  been  a  portion  of  the  New  York 
leather  district. 

Three-quarters  of  a  century  ago  many  rich  mer- 
chants had  their  homes  in  the  vicinity  of  Spruce 
and  William  streets.  Those  who  sent  ships  to  South 
America  procured  return  cargoes  made  up  of  the 
})roducts  of  those  countries,  including  dye  woods, 
coffee  and  hides.  The  Whitlock  family  was  fa- 
mous in  those  times.  Wiliam  Whitlock  was  a  sea 
captain,  sailing  out  of  New  York  in  1790.  He  lived 
at  No.  31  Frankfort  street,  right  in  the  "Swamp," 
until  1800,  and  then  moved  to  a  fine  new  house. 
No.  189  William,  near  Spruce.  William  Whitlock, 
Jr.,  built  a  residence  at  No.  187,  next  to  his  father's. 
He  was  the  man  that  started  the  line  of  Savannah 
packets,   about    1824.     He   was   also   in   the    Rio 


SWAMP  STREETS  41 

Grande  and  La  Plata  trade.  With  his  father,  and 
Francis  Depan,  who  built  Depau  row  in  Houston 
street,  he  established  the  Havre  packets.  One  of 
them,  the  "Cadmus,"  brought  out  Gen.  Lafayette 
in  1824.  She  was  to  sail  from  Havre  with  a  full 
freight  and  a  long  list  of  passengers.  All  were  pa- 
triotically sacrificed  to  make  room  for  "The  Na- 
tion's Guest,"  his  suite  and  baggage.  The  "Cad- 
mus" brought  them  all  over  and  landed  them  at 
Staten  Island.  No  compensation  was  asked.  La- 
fayette returned  Sept.  7,  1825,  in  a  governmeni 
vessel,  named,  in  compliment  to  him,  the  '"  Brandy - 
wine." 

The  printers  and  publishers  have  always  occu- 
pied the  upper  portion  nearest  Park  Row. 

Spruce  street  was  laid  out  in  1725  and  named 
George  street  in  honor  of  King  George  of  Eng- 
land. In  1820  its  name  was  changed  to  Spruce 
street.  In  1832  it  was  widened  throughout  its  en- 
tire length  at  a  cost  of  $52,912.40.  There  were 
handsome  dwellings  on  Spruce  street  in  former 
years  and  William  street  in  its  immediate  vicinitv 
was  a  fashional)le  dry  goods  quarter. 

The  store.  No.  16.  was  built  by  W.  S.  IMiller  for 
the  business  of  Weller  &  Miller,  an  old-time  find- 
ings house.  J.  H.  Weller,  of  Yonkers,  owns  it.  No. 
20  was  built  by  Robert  Goelet  for  Shattuck  &: 
Binger. 

The  southeast  corner  of  Spruce  and  William 
streets  was  first  occupied  for  the  leather  business  in 
1857  by  E.  A.  Smith  &  Bros.     Edmund  A.  Smith 


42  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP. 

bought  the  building  and  his  estate  own  it  now.  The 
adjoining  store  on  William  street  was  built  in  1857 
by  Loring  Andrews.,  This  lot  formed  an  ell  with 
26  Spruce  street  and  in  1855  and  1857  Mr.  An- 
drews built  all  the  stores  now  standing  on  the  south 
side  from  No.  26  to  No.  42  inclusive.  It  was  said 
that  these  cost  $18,000  to  build. 
The  proprietor  of  the  "New  York  Ledger"  built 
a  marble  block  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Spruce 
and  William  streets,  the  lower  floors  of  which  were 
for  a  time  occupied  as  kather  stores.  Next  below 
is  No.  29,  a  large  and  commodious  structure  built 
by  E.  Godfrey  &  Sons  in  1863.  It  was  sold  in  1869 
for  $ioOjPOO.  The  estate  of  Charles  Hauselt  is  the 
present  owner.  No.  31  was  built  by  Henry  Bange 
in  1 861.  He  was  a  leather  dealer  and  afterwards  a 
broker. 

No.  37  was  once  owned  by  W.  W.  De  Forrest  & 
Co.,  who  were  large  dealers  in  hides.  Previous  to 
1850  they  also  had  a  hide  warehouse  in  Ferry  street 
at  No.  20.    In  1850  T.  &  R.  Stout  took  the  store. 

No.  39  was  built  by  Wm.  P.  Miller  about  1840. 
William  Sherwood  and  Elijah  T.  Brown  (Sher- 
wood &  Brown)  occupied  the  store  from  1852  to 
i860,  when  it  was  purchased  by  Henry  Bucking  for 
his  sheepskin  business.  Charles  J.  Osborn,  after- 
wards a  rich  stock  broker,  was  a  bookkeeper  for 
TIenry  Bucking.  No.  41  was  built  by  Jacob  Loril- 
lard  in  1835.  It  was  then  connected  with  Nos.  85 
and  87  Gold  street. 

These  streets  comprise  the  New  York  Swamp. 


ISRAEL  CORSE  AND  FIRMS  4.? 

SEAL  SKINS 

From  the  years  1835  to  1845  fully  250,000  North 
and  South  Sea  sealskins  were  tanned  yearly  and 
consumed  in  this  country.  Shoes  were  made  from 
them.  Hair  seals  were  used  in  covering  trunks. 
Most  of  these  were  prepared  in  the  New  York 
Swamp.  These  skins  averaged  in  size  eight  square 
feet  each.  About  200,000  horse  hides  were  imported 
yearly  from  South  America  and  tanned.  We  have 
recommenced  tanning  horse  hides  during  the  past 
twenty  years,  but  finishing  seal  skins  seems  to  be 
a  lost  art  here. 

ISRAEL  CORSE  AND  FIRMS  HE  FOUNDED 

A  young  tanner  who  came  to  New  York  from 
Chestertown,  Md.,  in  1802  founded  a  house  that 
continued  more  than  eighty  years  with  unvaried 
success.  His  name  was  Israel  Corse.  His  parents 
were  Hicksite  Quakers,  and  he  always  held  to  that 
belief. 

This  story  was  told  in  Chestertown  as  illustrating 
his  shrewdness  when  a  boy.  A  thief  came  through 
the  village  one  evening  and  stole  a  mare  and  her 
colt.  As  the  man  was  riding  ofif  some  persons  gave 
chase,  but  he  was  fast  getting  away  from  them. 
"Catch  the  colt,"  said  Israel  Corse,  who  was  one 
of  the  pursuers.  That  was  done  and  the  mare 
stopped.  She  would  not  go  a  step  without  her  foal. 
When  Mr.  Corse  was  "out  of  his  time"  he  married 
Lydia  Troth.    By  her  he  got  $2,000,  and  after  tan- 


44  HTSTORY    OF   THE    SWAMP. 

ning  for  some  years,  came  to  New  York.  He 
brought  his  shrewdness  to  a  good  market.  He  and 
his  successors  builded  strong,  and  during  all  their 
long  career  never  failed  to  discharge  every  obliga- 
tion. He  opened  a  leather  store  at  14  Jacob  street 
in  the  midst  of  a  lot  of  tanneries.  He  lived  at  No. 
7  Vandewater  street.  The  house  is  torn  down. 
It  was  a  swell  front,  brick  mansion,  in  a  fashion- 
able street.  Shade  trees  lined  the  sidewalks.  The 
finest  dry  goods  stores  were  in  William  street, 
handy  by.  Colonel  William  Kumbel  and  Shepherd 
Knapp  lived  in  that  house  afterwards. 

Israel  Corse  went  into  business  with  George  Fer- 
guson, afterwards  a  leather  inspector.  This  lasted 
only  a  short  time.  In  1810  his  son  became  a  part- 
ner with  his  father  and  continued  so  until  1830, 
when  the  senior  retired  from  business.  The  firm 
was  Israel  Corse  &  Son. 

Mr.  Corse  built  a  fine  mansion  in  East  Broadway 
and  moved  there  in  1820  from  Vandewater  street. 
There  w'ere  marble  pillars  at  the  side  of  the  door 
and  marble  steps  led  up  to  it.  These  were  some- 
thing new  in  the  city.  Mr.  Corse  had  his  teamster 
call  for  him,  with  the  wagon  the  leather  was  hauled 
in,  every  morning  at  seven  o'clock  to  take  him  to 
the  store  and  in  the  evening  he  often  rode  back  in 
the  same  conveyance.  He  used  to  wear  tbe 
Friends'  garb,  now  seldom  seen,  but  there  were 
several  of  this  denomination  among  old  leather 
merchants. 

Israel  Corse  was  famous  for  ridding  New  York 


JONATHAN  THORNE  AND  FIRMS  45 

of  the  curse  of  lotteries.  With  a  few  others  he 
fought  this  evil  until  a  law  was  passed  making  the 
sale  of  tickets  a  crime.  He  was  one  of  the  first  mer- 
chants to  stock  tanneries  and  sell  the  leather. 
When  Jonathan  Thorne,  his  son-in-law,  joined  the 
firm,  in  1828,  this  was  the  tirst  system  he  inaugu- 
rated. They  ceased  to  be  dealers  and  became  tan- 
ners and  merchants.  The  firm  was  changed  to 
Jonathan  Thorne  &  Co.  in  1830.  Barney  Corse  re- 
tired in  1833.  He  had  to  leave  the  trade  and  the 
city  for  his  sympathy  with  abolition  of  slavery. 

JONATHAN  THORNE    AND  PARTNERS 

A  few  years  after  this  old  Corse  firm  was  changed 
to  Jonathan  Thorne  &  Co.,  his  brother-in-law,  An- 
son Lapham,  joined  it.  This  was  in  1834.  Mr. 
Lapham  had  been  in  the  produce  business.  He 
brougl'xt  money  and  a  high  grade  of  commercial 
knowledge  to  the  firm.  In  1840  Israel  Corse,  Jr., 
came  of  age  and  into  the  firm.  Israel  Corse,  Sr., 
died  in  1842.  When  young  Israel  joined  the  style 
was  changed  to  Lapham,  Corse  &  Co.  to  bring  the 
names  of  the  younger  partners  prominently  before 
the  trade. 

In  1847  Anson  Lapham  retired.  Jonathan 
Thorne  and  Israel  Corse,  Jr.,  made  up  a  new  firm. 
Ambrose  K.  Ely,  who  had  been  a  clerk  in  the 
house  since  1843;  John  Watson,  former  partner  of 
Zadock  Pratt,  and  Edwin  Thorne,  oldest  son  of 
Jonathan  Thorne,  were  admitted,  and  the  style 
changed  to  Thorne,  Watson,  Corse  &  Co.     This 


46  HISTORY    OF   THE   SWAMP. 

was  known  as  the  "long  firm."  They  were  a  power- 
ful comibination  of  merchants  and  dominated  the 
sole  leather  tanning  business  of  New  York.  The 
firm  broke  up,  however,  in  1852.  Israel  Corse 
formed  the  house  of  Corse  &  Pratt.  A.  K.  Ely 
did  business  alone,  and  Edwin  Thorne  retired  with 
poor  health.  When  the  "long  firm"  dissolved,  Jona- 
than Thorne,  John  Watson  and  Samuel  Thorne, 
second  son  of  Jonathan  Thorne,  formed  the  firm  of 
Thorne,  Watson  &  Co.  They  did  business  under 
that  style  ten  years. 

In  1862  George  F,  Butman  took  the  place  in  the 
firm  made  vacant  by  the  retirement  of  Samuel 
Thorne.  The  st3de  was  changed  to  Thorne,  Wat- 
son &  Butman.  Mr.  Butman  was  a  son-in-law  of 
Levi  A.  Dowley,  a  Boston  leather  dealer.  He  had 
been  a  partner  with  George  Robertson  and  his  son, 
Loring  Andrews  Robertson,  in  the  firm  of  Robert- 
son &  Butman  from  February,  1857  to  February, 
1862.  Jonathan  Thorne  and  John  Watson  had  con- 
tributed $300,000  special.  They  occupied  68  Gold 
street.  The  Robertsons  retired  in  1862,  when  the 
firm  dissolved  by  limitation,  and  Mr.  Butman 
helped  make  up  the  house  before  mentioned  of 
Thorne,  Watson  &  Butman,  which  was  dissolved 
by  Mr.  Butman's  death,  July  ist,  1864.  He  was 
highly  esteemed  as  a  merchant  and  everybody  who 
knew  him  placed  inplicit  confidence  in  his  word. 

On  Mr.  Butman's  death  the  style  of  Thorne, 
Watson  &  Co.  was  re-assumed  and  continued  while 
the  seniors  did  business.  Samuel  Thorne  was  a 
member  of  his  father's  firm.     E.  FI.  K.  Belcher 


THORNEDALE  47 

joined  in  1864.  Henry  Emerson  in  1875.  Both 
had  been  clerks  in  the  house. 

In  1879  Jonathan  Thorne  and  John  Watson  re- 
tired and  were  succeeded  by  Belcher  &  Emerson, 
with  John  Watson  as  special  partner.  Jonathan 
Thorne  died  October  9th,  1884,  aged  84  years. 

Jonathan  Thorne  was  a  tall,  stately  gentleman 
with  a  bland  and  aristocratic  manner.  He  was  in 
the  dry  goods  business  before  he  entered  the  leather 
trade.  He  inherited,  in  1844,  his  father's  farm  in 
Washington,  Dutchess  County,  N.  Y.  He  added 
adjoining  acres  and  began  to  make  improvements 
on  it  for  his  family  occupancy.  He  named  the 
place  *'Thornedale,"  and  stocked  it  with  the 
choicest  cattle  the  world  could  furnish.  He  sent 
an  agent  to  England  in  1855,  commissioned  to  get 
the  best  Durham  shorthorns  money  could  pur- 
chase. He  obtained  a  number  from  the  celebrated 
''Bates  herd."  For  the  bull  "Grand  Duke"  he  paid 
£1,000,  and  for  "Dutchess"  cows  £600,  and  similar 
prices  for  others.  This  herd  made  Thornedale  farm 
a  noted  place  to  stock  raisers.  The  celebrated  stal- 
lion Thornedale,  the  winner  of  many  prizes,  was 
bred  and  raised  on  this  farm. 

Jonathan  Thome's  sons  always  managed  the 
farm.  It  was  the  summer  home  of  the  entire  lamily. 
Samuel  Thorne,  the  second  son,  was  the  first  in 
charge  of  the  farm.  He  procured  some  of  the 
famous  cattle  that  gave  the  place  such  a  great  name. 
Samuel  Thorne  was  a  member  of  the  firm  of  j\Iac^ 
farlane    &    Thorne,    putting   in    a    special    capital 


48  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP. 

for  a  time,  and  afterwards  had  special  capital  with 
Keese  &  Thorne  and  William  Palen.  Samuel 
Thorne  bought  an  estate  adjoining  Thornedale  and 
lives  there. 

When  any  of  Jonathan  Thome's  sons  were  mar- 
ried their  father  always  gave  them  a  silver  set  or 
its  equivalent  in  money.  Samuel  Thorne  married 
a  Miss  Van  Schoenhoven,  of  Troy  and  Fifth  avenue, 
New  York,  a  step-daughter  of  Joel  Wolfe.  He 
chose  a  silver  set,  and  the  service  presented  to  the 
bridal  couple  was  ornamented  with  massive  bull's 
heads,  as  he  was  the  "farmer"  of  the  family. 

Edwin  Thorne,  oldest  son  of  Jonathan  Thorne, 
was  a  clerk  in  his  father's  store  in  1843;  ^  partner 
in  1847.  He  retired  in  1863,  and  from  that  time  to 
1867  was  a  special  partner  in  Keese  &  Pearsall. 
Then  he  left  the  Swamp  and  founded  the  Wall 
street  firm  of  T.  W.  Pearsall  &  Co.  Mr.  Thorne 
married  a  sister  of  T.  W.  Pearsall.  He  was  a  di- 
rector and  president  of  the  New  York  State  Agri- 
cultural Society  and  director  in  the  American  Ex- 
change Bank  of  New  York.  He  took  Thornedale. 
He  had  previously  bought  the  bull  "Grand  Turk" 
for  $5,000  and  given  it  to  his  brother  Samuel.  The 
farm  became  famous  for  raising  stock  after  Edwin 
Thorne  took  it.  He  bred  fast  horses.  Edwin 
Thorne  died  in  1889,  aged  63  years.  His  son,  Oak- 
ley Thorne,  owns  Thornedale  now. 

As  Mr.  Thorne  wanted  all  of  his  sons  to  follow 
the  leather  business  he  formed  the  firm  of  Mac- 
farlane  &  Thorne,  putting  in  a  special  capit^d 
$100,000.     James  Macfarlane  was  an  experienced 


JOHN  WATSON,  ETC.  49 

and  able  leather  merchant,  formerly  of  Van  Woert 
&  Macfarlane.  \\'ith  him  Jonatlian  Thorne,  Jr., 
was  associated.  This  was  in  1864.  In  1866  Samuel 
Thorne  became  a  partner,  and  the  firm  changed  to 
Thorne,  Macfarlane  &  Co.  In  1869  Samuel  retired 
and  William  Thorne  took  his  place.  Thorne,  Mac- 
farlane &  Co.  owned  tanneries  at  Laporte  and 
Thornedale,  Pa.,  and  had  large  tracts  of  hemlock 
timber  lands.  They  tanned  mostly  for  European 
markets.  The  firm  merged  in  the  United  States 
Leather  Company  in  1893. 

George  W.  Thorne  was  the  youngest  son  of  Jona  ■ 
than  Thorne.  When  he  was  twenty-one  years  old 
he  formed  the  firm  of  Keese  &  Thorne,  which  did 
business  from  1870  to  1877.  Samuel  T.  Keese  was 
the  partner.  After  this  firm  dissolved  George  W. 
Thorne  transferred  the  tanneries  he  owned  to 
Barnes  &  Merritt,  with  whom  he  arranged  a  special 
partnership  to  last  until  1884.  He  then  \vent  on  a 
voyage  around  the  world  for  his  health,  but  re- 
turned and  died  in  1883.  He  had  left  a  power  of 
attorney  with  Adam  Ramsay  ]\IcCoy,  wdiich  was  re- 
newed by  his  executors,  and  $200,000  placed  at  his 
disposal  as  special  capital,  with  the  privilege  of 
placing  the  business  to  the  best  advantage.  He 
turned  it  over  to  Barnes  &:  Merritt  and  remained 
with  tiicm  to  manage  it  until  1893,  when  he  died. 

John  Watson  was  well  knov^-n  in  the  Swamp  for 
fifty  years.  In  1830  Mr.  Watson  went  to  Pratts- 
ville  and  commenced  tanning  sole  leather  with  his 
brother-in-law,  Zadock  Pratt.  In  1846,  with  a  capi- 


so  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP. 

tal  of  $100,000  he  came  to  New  York  and  on  Febru- 
ary I  St,  1847,  joined  with  Jonathan  Thorne  in 
business. 

Colonel  Watson  was  a  Member  of  Assembly  for 
Greene  County  in  1837.  He  was  Colonel  of  the 
Prattsville  Guards  at  the  time.  He  was  a  lover  of 
horses,  and  at  his  place  near  Orange,  N.  J.,  had 
some  fine  trotting  stock.  He  gave  freely  in  charity 
to  indigent  members  of  the  leather  trade.  He  died 
June  13th,  1891. 

E.  H.  K.  Belcher  came  to  New  York  from  New- 
foundland. He  was  a  bookkeeper  for  Thorne,  Wat- 
son &  Co.  in  1857,  and  a  member  of  the  firm  from 
1864  to  1880,  when  it  dissolved.  Mr.  Belcher  is 
manager  of  the  John  Watson  estate. 

Henry  Emerson  came  from  Haverhill,  Mass., 
and  entered  the  employ  of  Thorne,  Watson  &  Co. 
He  was  admitted  as  partner  in  1875.  In  1880,  with 
E.  H.  K.  Belcher,  he  formed  the  firm  of  Belcher 
&  Emerson.  John  Watson  was  special  partner  for 
$100,000.  This  continued  to  1890.  Henry  Emer- 
son did  some  hide  business  after  that,  but  he  died 
January  8th,  1892. 

CORSE,  PRATT  &  CO. 

When  Israel  Corse  left  the  "long  firm"  in  1852. 
as  hereinbefore  stated,  he  took  George  W.  Pratt  as 
a  partner  and  formed  the  firm  of  Corse  &  Pratt. 
In  1859  Edmund  Thompson,  the  bookkeeper,  was 
admitted,  and  the  style  changed  to  Corse,  Pratt  & 
Co.    This  firm  prospered,  but  was  dissolved  by  the 


GIDEON  LEE  FIRMS  Si 

death  of  Colonel  George  W.  Pratt,  who  went  to  the 
war  in  1862.  A  new  firm  was  formed  by  the  admis- 
sion of  James  Knox  Polk,  a  nephew  of  Israel  Corse 
and  also  of  ex-President  James  K.  Polk.  This 
house,  known  as  Corse,  Thompson  &  Polk,  con- 
tinued until  1872.  Then  Mr.  Corse  retired  from 
business.  Mr.  Polk  went  to  Connecticut,  and  Mr. 
Thompson  did  a  small  business  in  hides.  All  the 
partners  are  dead.  Israel  Corse  died  at  his  sum- 
mer  residence,  Sayville,  L.  I.,  July  13th,  1885.  Mr. 
Corse  was  one  of  the  oldest  directors  of  the  Phoenix 
Bank,  the  New  York  Marine  Insurance  Company, 
a  director  in  the  Clinton  Insurance  Company,  and 
active  in  various  public  institutions. 

GIDEON  LEE   AND    PARTNERS. 

The  name  of  Gideon  Lee  was  perhaps  more 
widely  known  than  that  of  any  other  merchant  of 
his  time.  He  stood  in  the  front  rank  as  a  leather 
merchant.  He  was  the  Mayor  of  the  Metropolis 
for  a  term,  a  great  honor  in  his  day,  and  he  w^as  a 
leader  in  national  councils,  where  he  served  with 
high  repute  and  undoubted  integrity.  The  house 
he  fovmded  was  prominent  in  the  Swamp  for  almost 
a  hundred  years. 

Gideon  Lee  learned  to  tan  leather  and  make 
shoes  in  Amherst,  Mass.  He  was  born  there  in 
1785.  In  1807  he  came  to  New  York  and  worked 
one  year  selling  leather  for  William  Edwards,  a 
tanner  of  Northampton,  Mass.  His  salary  was 
$1,000  a  vear.    In  1808  he  went  in  business  for  him- 


52  HISTORY    OF   THE    SWAMP. 

self  in  a  two-story  yellow  frame  building,  25  X  I5' 
at  the  northeast  corner  of  Ferry  and  Jacob  streets. 
He  named  this  store  "Fort  Lee."  It  was  the  largest 
in  the  Swamp  at  that  time.  He  lived  at  37  Frank- 
fort street.  Here  he  laid  the  foundation  of  his  for- 
tune, and  in  1815  he  purchased  the  land  28  feet 
front,  numbered  20  Ferry  street,  running  back  to 
Beekman,  w^here  it  was  70  feet  wide.  He  sold  part 
of  this  and  bought  of  David  Bryson  two  adjoining 
lots  on  Ferry  street.  He  built  a  two-story  brick 
building  here,  but  in  1820  erected  the  large  stores 
which  stand  on  the  site  and  for  more  than  half  a 
century  were  known  as  the  Lee  stores.  These  were 
occupied  until  1893  by  his  successors. 

In  1817  Mr.  Lee  formed  the  first  joint  stock  com- 
pany to  tan  leather.  It  was  named  The  New  York 
Tannery  Co.,  capital  $60,000.  The  members  were 
Gideon  Lee,  Cunningham  &  McCormJck,  William 
Bayard,  Herman  LeRoy,  of  New  York,  and  Joseph 
Xifre,  of  Cuba.  Each  man  held  $10,000  of  the 
stock.  They  bought  1,200  acres  of  land  in  Hunter, 
Greene  County,  N.  Y.,  and  put  dow-n  a  tannery  cap- 
able of  producing  10,000  sides  of  hemlock  sole 
leather  a  year.  Five  thousand  La  Plate  hides  w^ere 
tanned  the  first  year  and  the  first  leather  came  to 
New  York  in  the  autumn  of  1818. 

The  tanners  were  Wm.  Edwards  &  Son,  and  the 
tannery  was  the  first  one  under  cover  in  the  United 
States.  In  1819  Mr.  Lee  took  Shepherd  Knapp. 
who  had  been  his  clerk  for  four  years,  as  a  partner. 
The  firm  was  Gideon  Lee  &  Co.    They  built  brick 


GIDEON  LEE  FIRMS  53 

storehouses  in  the  village  of  Catskill,  where  leather 
was  stored  in  winter  and  sent  to  New  York  when 
navigation  opened. 

Several  well  known  Swamp  merchants  were 
graduates  from  the  office  of  Gideon  Lee  &  Co. 
Among  them  were  George  and  William  Palen,  Aus- 
tin Melvin,  Wm.  B.  Isham,  Isaac  H.  Bailey,  John 
W.  Stout  and  others. 

The  early  business  of  the  house  was  purchasing 
and  selling  all  kinds  of  hide  and  leather.  This 
branch  was  more  immediately  under  the  supervision 
of  Shepherd  Knapp,  and  he  made  frequent  visits  to 
Massachusetts  to  purchase  supplies  of  sole  leather, 
dealing  witli  Joseph  Southwick,  father  of  Philip  R. 
Southwick ;  Tufts,  of  Charlestown ;  Winslow,  of 
Roxbury,  and  other  well  known  tanners.  A  little 
later  the  firm  dealt  wholly  in  sole  leather  and  hides. 
The  sales  of  the  house  from  1825  to  1830  were  in 
the  neighborhood  of  half  a  million  of  dollars,  and 
this  increased  until  1838,  when  they  sold  the  round 
sum  of  two  millions  of  dollars  worth  of  hides  and 
leather.  Their  customers  were  from  New  England, 
New  York  State,  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia,  the 
Carolinas  and  other  Southern  States  used  to  be  a 
market  for  heavy  leather  suitable  for  negro  bro- 
gans.    Usually,  sales  were  on  six  months'  credit. 

During  the  last  ten  years  of  their  business  career, 
tl'iC  firm  held  regular  auction  sales  every  fortnight, 
selling  their  own  leather  and  that  of  other  houses. 
They  were  largely  engaged  in  stocking  tanneries 
with  hides  and  selling  the  leather  on  commission. 


54  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP. 

The  first  stock  of  hides  ever  put  in  by  Zadock  Pratt 
were  furnished  by  Gideon  Lee  &  Company. 

The  contracts  with  tanners  at  that  period  obli- 
gated them  to  pay  a  charge  of  five  per  cent,  for  the 
purchase  of  hides,  and  the  dealer  received  the  same 
back  in  leather,  for  the  sale  of  which  four  per  cent, 
was  charged,  with  an  addition  of  two  per  cent, 
guarantee.  The  only  property  the  tanner  held  in 
the  leather  was  the  gain.  The  operations  of  the 
firm  of  which  we  write  were  very  extensive,  and 
often  from  two  to  three  hundred  thousand  sides  of 
leather  would  accumulate  on  their  hands  in  dull 
times. 

In  1837-8  leather  was  not  selling  and  money  was 
tight.  Lee  &  Co.  made  arrangements  to  borrow  in 
Boston,  partly  from  Ebenezer  Francis,  $100,000. 
Leather  was  the  security.  It  was  sent  to  Boston, 
stored  on  Long  Wharf,  and  Mr.  Francis  held  the 
key.  He  got  eight  per  cent,  interest  on  the  loan. 
A  few  months  thereafter  trade  revived  and  the  firm 
began  to  get  ofifers  for  their  leather.  Mr.  Lee  sent 
his  son-in-law,  Charles  M.  Leupp,  to  Boston.  He 
reported  that  leather  was  going  up  rapidly  and  cus- 
tomers were  anxious  to  buy,  but  he  would  not  sell 
until  a  higher  price  was  reached.  Mr.  Lee  said, 
"The  time  to  sell  is  when  customers  want  to  buy." 
He  told  Knapp  to  go  to  Boston  and  sell  that  leather. 
The  firm  held  170,000  sides  in  New  York  and  Bos- 
ton. Mr.  Knapp  left  by  stage  for  Boston.  He  went 
down  on  the  wharf  on  the  morning  of  his  arrival 
and  met  members  of  the  trade  returning  angry, 


GIDEON  LEE  FIRMS  55 

because  they  could  not  get  to  see  the  leather.  He 
turned  them  back,  opened  the  doors,  ticketed  the 
stock  and  began  to  sell.  In  a  few  days  all  had  been 
sold  and  a  good  profit  realized.  Leather  declined 
shortly  thereafter,  but  the  firm  were  saved  from 
loss. 

Gideon  Lee  and  Shepherd  Knapp  both  retired 
from  business  in  1839.  Gideon  Lee  was  a  Member 
of  Assembly  in  1822.  Served  as  Alderman  for  a 
few  years,  and  in  1833-4  was  Mayor  of  New  York. 
He  declined  a  re-election.  In  1835  he  was  presi- 
dent of  the  Shoe  and  Leather  Manufacturers'  Bank 
For  about  four  years  he  was  a  representative  to 
Congress  at  Washington,  and  in  1840  was  chosen 
Presidential  Elector,  and  voted  for  William  Henry 
Harrison.  He  bought  an  estate  in  Geneva,  N.  Y., 
and  spent  the  last  years  of  his  life  there.  He  died 
in  August,  1 84 1. 

Mr.  Lee  was  of  medium  height,  rather  spare  and 
very  aristocratic  in  appearance.  He  used  to  ride 
down  town  from  his  residence  in  Bond  street, 
mounted  on  a  handsome  black  horse,  which  went 
prancing  into  his  stall  at  the  rear  of  the  Ferry  street 
stores.  While  Mr.  Lee  was  connected  with  the 
City  Government  he  gave  $500  to  every  school 
house  that  was  built,  to  be  used  for  purchasing 
library  or  scientific  apparatus. 

Shepherd  Knapp,  who  was  connected  with  Mr. 
Lee  as  clerk  and  partner,  twenty-seven  years,  was 
born  in  Cummington,  Mass.,  in  1795.  Gideon  Lee 
married  his  cousin.     In  1817  Mr.  Knapp  came  to 


56 


HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP. 


New  York  and  entered  his  employ. 

In  the  spring  of  1819  tlie  offer  of  a  partnership 
was  made  to  Mr.  Knapp,  and  the  firm  of  Gideon 
Lee  &  Co.  dated  from  that  time  and  continued 


SHEPHERD    KNAPP. 

twenty  years.  The  original  arrangement  was  for  fif- 
teen years  at  an  interest  of  one  quarter  of  the  profits 
for  the  first  five  years,  one  third  for  the  next  and  a 
half  interest  for  the  last  five  years.    This  latter  ar- 


GIDEON  LEE  FIRMiS  57 

rangement  continued  for  ten  years,  or  until  1839, 
when  botl'i  of  these  gentlemen  retired  from  the 
leather  business  with  ample  fortunes. 

Mr.  Ktiapp  was  married  in  the  spring  of  1820  to 
Miss  Catherine  Louise  Kumbel,  a  sister  of  Colonel 
William  Kumbel,  who  was  for  over  fifty  years  a 
prominent  merchant  in  the  Swamp. 

Shepherd  Knapp  was  appointed  a  director  in  the 
Branch  Bank  of  the  United  States  in  1832.  In  183S 
he  was  chosen  president  of  the  Mechanic's  Bank 
and  held  the  office  more  than  thirty  years.  He  was 
for  some  years  Chamberlain  of  New  York  City  and 
a  pension  agent  from  1838  to  1843.  He  was  a 
president  of  the  Fidelity  Insurance  Company.  He 
lived  at  Washington  Heights. 

Mr.  Knapp  was  a  notable  man,  of  full  size,  and 
in  his  later  years  his  hair  was  white  as  snow.  A 
shoe  manufacturer,  who  saw  him  for  the  first  time, 
said  on  leaving  the  store,  "If  Shepherd  Knapp  is 
not  an  honest  man,  then  God  Almighty  does  not 
write  a  legible  hand."  Shepherd  Knapp  died  De- 
cember 22d,  1875. 

When  Mr.  Lee  and  Mr.  Knapp  retired  the  firm 
was  changed  to  Lee  &  Burke. 

Mr.  Lee's  share  was  $450,000,  Mr.  Knapp's 
$200,000,  which  was  withdrawn,  but  they  made  up 
a  special  capital  of  $150,000  for  the  new  firm. 
David  Williamson  Lee,  son  of  Gideon  Lee,  had 
been  admitted ;  George  G.  Smith  was  a  partner,  but 
he  was  lost  in  the  Arctic  in  1854. 


58  HISTORY    OF   THE    SWA'MP. 

Lee  &  Burk  was  changed  to  Charles  M. 
Leupp  &  Co.  in  1843.  I"  1846-7  their  capital 
was  impaired,  but  they  made  money  after 
that  and  went  through  the  panic  of  1857  unharmed. 
They  were  the  first  house  to  send  leather  to  Europe. 
It  was  in  1844  when  the  ship  Montreal  took  500 
sides  of  Buenos  Ayres  over-weights  tanned  by  Za- 
dock  Pratt.  They  also  sent  oak  sole  later,  but  the 
business  was  neglected  thereafter  and  this  firm 
never  resumed  it. 

In  1859  the  firm  entered  into  a  disastrous  specu- 
lation. Zadock  Pratt  and  Jay  Gould  were  asso- 
ciated in  the  tanning  business  under  the  firm  name 
of  Pratt  &  Gould.  They  built  a  tannery  at  Goulds- 
boro,  Pa.  Corse  &  Pratt,  of  New  York,  stocked 
the  yard  and  sold  the  leather.  They  became  dis- 
satisfied and  urged  Zadock  Pratt  to  sell  out.  He 
sold  to  Charles  M.  Leupp  &  Co.  for  about  $150,000. 
The  new  owners  filled  the  tannery  with  hides  and 
accepted  Jay  Gould's  notes  for  them  until  they 
were  involved  to  an  alarming  extent.  It  preyed 
upon  Mr.  Leupp's  mind  and  on  October  5th,  1859, 
he  shot  himself  with  a  fowling-piece  and  ended  his 
life.  He  had  lost  all  his  property,  except  about 
$30,000,  which  was  saved  out  of  the  wreck  and  in- 
herited by  his  three  daughters.  He  built  at  a  cost 
of  $90,000  the  house  at  the  southeast  corner  of 
Madison  avenue  and  Twenty-fifth  street.  Here  he 
had  cultivated  his  love  of  literature  and  the  fine 
arts,  of  both  of  which  he  had  become  a  liberal  pat- 
ron.   He  possessed  a  large  and  well  selected  library. 


GIDEON  LEE  FIRMS.  59 

Some  of  the  best  pictures  of  our  most  eminent  land- 
scape artists,  as  Cole,  Durand,  Kensett  and  others 
of  kindred  excellence,  graced  his  walls — upon 
which,  also,  were  represented  the  works  of  many  of 
our  first  portrait  painters,  as  Inman,  Ingham,  El- 
liot't,  Gray,  Page,  Hicks  and  others. 

JAY  GOULD'S  BATTLE. 

This  was  an  exciting  episode  in  the  leather  trade. 
D.  Williamson  Lee,  surviving  partner  of  Chas.  M. 
Leupp  &  Co.,  went  to  Gouldsboro  in  March,  i860, 
and  took  possession  of  the  tannery  there,  leaving 
twenty  men  in  charge.  Jay  Gould,  who  claimed 
it,  gathered  a  force  of  200  men  to  dispossess  Lee. 
They  met  at  the  tavern  on  the  morning  of  March 
6th,  and  after  refreshments  furnished  by  Gould  had 
been  partaken  of,  they  rushed  down  to  the  tannery 
firing  pistols  and  charged  through  the  leather  lofts, 
driving  the  custodians  into  the  woods.  Shots  were 
exchanged,  four  men  were  wounded,  but  no  lives 
were  lost.  Surgeons  were  kept  busy  at  the  hotel 
binding  up  the  wounds  of  the  contestants.  The 
matter  was  afterw^ards  settled  in  court,  but  mean- 
time the  tannery  was  sold  to  Wm.  Creighton  Lee. 
LEE  &  COMPANY. 

The  youngest  son  of  Gideon  Lee  was  William 
Creighton  Lee.  He  commenced  tanning  at  an  early 
age.  When  Chas.  M.  Leupp  &  Co.  went  out  of 
business  he  took  the  store  20  and  22  Ferry  street, 
which  his  father  had  built,  and  continued  in  the 
leather   business.      H.    D.    H.    Svnder.   a    Greene 


6o  HISTORY    OF   THE    SWAMP. 

County  tanner,  was  his  partner.  The  old  sign  of 
Gideon  Lee  remained  over  the  store  all  the  time 
the  son  was  there.  Mr.  Synder  left  the  firm  in 
1871.  Charles  11.  Lee  and  Gideon  Lee^,  sons 
of  W.  Creighton  Lee  were  taken  as  partners. 
R.  J.  Hiitton  came  in  the  firm  in  1882.  G. 
Lee;,  Jr.,  died  May  3d,  1886.  In  1893  they  sold 
the  Cedar  Run  and  Gains  tanneries  to  the  United 
States  Leather  Company.  Wm.  Creighton  Lee 
died  February  15th,  1897.  His  son,  Charles  H. 
Lee,  is  a  director  and  hide  buyer  for  the  leather 
company.  He  resembles  his  illustrious  grandfather 
in  more  ways  than  one.  He  lives  in  Gramercy  Park 
with  his  wife  and  six  children,  four  boys  and  two 
girls.  The  record  of  the  Lee  family  for  almost  a 
century  has  been  kept  high  up  among  the  noblest 
of  the  trade. 

JACOB  LORILLARD. 
Some  one  has  said  that  there  never  was  a  poor 
Lorillard.  The  family  are  chiefly  known  as  suc- 
cessful tobacconists,  but  in  the  last  century  a  Loril- 
lard was  a  tanner  in  New  York,  and  his  younger 
brother  and  apprentice,  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
Jacob  Lorillard  grew  up  to  be  one  of  tlie  richest 
men  in  the  leather  trade.  He  began  business  about 
1800  with  $3,000,  most  of  which  w'as  a  loan  from 
his  two  brothers.  In  1812  he  lived  at  No.  14  and 
his  store  was  No.  16  Ferry  street.  Mr.  Lorillard 
stocked  many  tanneries,  that  is,  furnished  the  hides 
to  tan  on  contract.  He  went  to  Northampton, 
Mass.,  early  in  the  present  century  to  see  the  new 


JACOB  LORILLARD. 


61 


JACOB   LORILLARD. 

sole  leather  roller  invented  by  William  Edwards. 
Lookingat  it  he  said  :  "It  covers  a  multitude  of  sins," 
and  ordered  several  for  his  tanneries.  This  rolling 
machine  (the  same  now  in  use)  and  the  bark  mill 
invented  by  William  Tobey,  of  Hudson,  N.  Y., 
about  the  same  time,  were  very  valuable  improve- 
ments in  sole  leather  tanning.  In  1820  Mr.  Loril- 
lard  paid  taxes  on  $600,000  worth  of  property.  He 
was  president  of  the  Mechanics'  Bank  for  many 
years.  He  owned  109  valuable  lots  of  real  estate, 
of  which  several  were  in  the  Swamp.    When  he  re- 


62  HISTORY    OF   THE    SWAMP. 

tired  from  business  in  1834  Gideon  Lee  and  other 
merchants  in  the  Swamp  went  to  his  house,  corner 
of  Hudson  and  Laight  streets,  and  presented  him 
with  a  soHd  set  of  silverware  suitably  inscribed.  He 
died  September  30,  1838,  and  left  four  daughters, 
but  no  son  to  perpetuate  his  name.  In  1830  Jacob 
Lorillard  built  the  store  standing  now  on  the  north- 
west corner  of  Ferry  and  Cliff  streets.  It  was  far 
superior  to  any  other  on  the  street  and  competition 
arose  among  merchants  to  hire  it.  Sealed  pro- 
posals were  made.  Smith  &  Schultz  bid  $1,001  a 
year  for  a  five  years  lease  and  secured  it.  It  was 
a  large  rent  for  that  time.  At  the  opening  there 
was  an  auction  sale  of  leather.  Many  tanners 
contributed  from  their  stocks.  Jacob  Lorillard  put 
in  a  large  consignment,  and  champagne  lunch  was 
provided.  Several  swampers  got  exhilirated  and 
bought  more  leather  than  they  put  in  the  sale  and 
Mr.  Lorillard  was  among  the  number. 

WM.   KUMBEL. 

The  pioneer  in  the  manufacture  of  leather  belting 
was  a  genuine  swamper.  He  was  born  at  312  Pearl, 
opposite  to  Ferry  street,  in  1790.  He  learned  to 
curry  leather  with  Cunningham  &  McCormick. 
Hugh  McCormick  married  his  sister.  In  1810  Wil- 
liam Kumbel  went  into  the  leather  finishing  trade. 
He  was  located  at  33  Ferry  street  during  most  of  his 
business  career.  In  1836  he  made  the  first  leather 
belt  made  in  America.  Very  little  belting  was  used 
here  then.  There  was  not  a  stationary  engine  in 
New  York  at  that  time.    The  demand  grew,  how- 


WM.  KUMBEL.  63 

ever,  and  for  ten  years  Mr,  Kumbel  was  the  only 
man  to  supply  it.  He  also  curried  seal  skins  and 
trunk  leather.  In  1850  he  sent  the  first  leather  belt 
to  California.  He  died  in  June,  1866.  A  son,  Peter 
E.  Kumbel,  succeeded  him,  but  the  business  was 
soon  discontinued.  William  Kumbel  was  Colonel 
of  the  nth  Regiment,  N.  Y.  V.,  afterwards  changed 
to  the  7th  Regiment.  Colonel  Kumbel  always  took 
an  active  interest  in  this  organization. 

Colonel  Kumbel  was  tall  and  erect,  with  a  mili- 
tary bearing.  He  usually  wore  a  cloak.  Toward 
the  last  days  of  his  life  he  was  noted  for  his  long 
white  hair  and  quick  walk.  He  showed  few  marks 
of  age. 

A  history  of  early  Swamp  merchants  would  not 
be  complete  without  mention  of  the 

EVERIT    FAMILY. 

Thomas  Everit  engaged  in  the  hide  business  and 
tanned  leather  in  Brooklyn  in  1795.  He  visited  the 
Swamp  every  morning  to  buy  or  sell.  An  older 
son  joined  him  in  business,  but  died,  and  in  1818 
another  son,  Valentine  Everit,  came  in  the  firm, 
which  was  known  as  Thomas  Everit  &  Son.  Valen- 
tine Everit  succeeded  to  the  business  and  built  the 
store  32  Eerry  street  in  1825.  The  family  did  busi- 
ness there  about  fifty  years.  The  firm  was  V. 
Everit  &  Co.  This  was  changed  to  Hyde  &  Everit, 
Isaac  Hyde  becoming  a  partner.  Sons  of  Mr. 
Everit,  Richard  and  Thomas  Everit,  were  in  busi- 
ness here  for  several  years.  John  Hopkins  came 
with  them  and  the  firm  was  Everit  &  Hopkins,  with 


64  HISTORY    OF   THE    SWAMP. 

Valentine  Everit  as  special  partner  for  $20,000. 
In  1874  Everit  &  Chapman  succeeded,  and  when 
Valentine  Everit  died,  in  1877,  the  firm  became 
Thos.  Everit  &  Co.  They  have  discontinued  busi- 
ness. 

A   GROWING   TRADE. 

As  the  leather  business  was  very  profitable,  many 
tanners  sent  their  sons  to  New  York  to  learn  of  its 
financial  side.  Some  tanners  who  had  accumulated 
money  in  the  industry  embarked  in  the  commission 
business,  and  in  the  early  days  many  of  them  made 
fortunes. 

Before  the  railroad  was  built  to  Albany  no 
leather  came  to  New  York  after  the  North  River 
froze  up  in  the  winter.  Massachusetts  manufact- 
urers bought  leather  in  Albany  and  Troy  and  took 
it  on  sleds  over  to  Worcester  County,  where  it  was 
cut  into  boots.  Friend  Humphrey,  of  Albany,  and 
Elias  Plum,  of  Troy,  made  fortunes  in  selling 
leather  when  New  York  was  closed  to  trade. 

From  1820  to  1850  tanneries  up  the  State  in- 
creased rapidly.  Every  owner  of  a  thousand  or  ten 
thousand  acre  tract  of  hemlock  land  could  build  a 
tannery,  get  a  few  skilled  workmen  from  Massachu- 
setts and  find  a  Swamp  merchant  who  would  stock 
him  with  hides.  The  growth  of  the  business  is 
shown  by  the  returns  of 

LEATHER   INSPECTION, 
as  follows  in  New  York : 


LEATHER  INSPECTION.  65 

1827 265,000  sides. 

1837 • 665,000  sides. 

1847 1,168,000  sides. 

1857 3,248,000  sides. 

1867 4,420,000  sides. 

This  leather  was  tanned  in  Greene,  SulHvan  and 
Delaware  Counties.  All  leather  sold  in  New  York 
had  to  be  inspected.  Sworn  inspectors  did  the 
work,  and  the  "Inspection  Law"  was  rigidly  en- 
forced. In  fifty  years  all  the  bark  was  used 
and  as  the  hemlock  docs  not  reproduce  itself, 
there  is  hardly  a  tree  of  that  species  now  in  the 
Catskill  region. 

SWAMP,    1820   TO    1840. 

Among  the  old  Swampers  in  early  times  there 
was  a  degree  of  intimacy  which  did  not  exist  later. 
They  were  brought  together  by  business  and  social 
ties.  Tliey  lived  in  the  Swamp  or  on  its  borders. 
Jonathan  Thorne,  Loring  Andrews,  Colonel  Wm. 
Kumbel  lived  on  Cliff,  near  Frankfort  street.  l^-Ir. 
Thome's  house  of  yellow  brick  was  notireable  for 
it  front  door,  with  polished  brass  knocker,  sur- 
mounted by  a  bull's  head.  Jackson  S.  Schultz  lived 
in  Cliff  near  Ferry  street,  where  he  was  married  to 
i\Iiss  Chichester,  daughter  of  Abner  Chichester,  a 
rich  Pearl  street  dry  goods  merchant,  who  owned 
much  property  in  that  neighborhood.  All  these 
merchants  exchanged  visits  in  a  democratic  way 
and  none  of  them  thought  of  keeping  a  carriage. 

It  was  a  time  of  special  partnerships.  The 
leather  magnates  started  their  clerks  or  relatives  in 


66  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP. 

business  with  anywhere  from  $10,000  to  $100,000  as 
special  capital  Most  trades  were  made  on  six  and 
eight  months'  time,  and  there  was  a  good  deal  of 
borrowing,  note  shaving  and  some  "kiting."  The 
"special  partners"  got  7  per  cent,  interest  for  their 
investment,  besides  a  share,  as  agreed  upon,  of  the 
profits.  It  was  a  lucrative  arrangement  for  them 
when  judiciously  placed. 

During  the  winter  very  few  sales  were  made. 
Tanners  sent  their  leather  down  the  North  River 
as  long  as  that  waterway  was  open  to  trafific.  The 
hemlock  sides  in  the  late  autumn  were  hurried 
through  and  often  short  tanned,  so  eager  were  the 
owners  to  get  them  to  market.  When  stocks  were 
small  and  prices  advanced  tanners  would  come 
down  from  the  Catskills  with  large  sled  loads  of 
leather  and  there  was  excitement  in  the  Swamp. 
Before  the  railroad  was  built,  leather  was  sent  to 
Massachusetts  in  schooners,  not  rolled  up,  but  piled 
on  deck  or  in  the  hold.  Boston  harbor  was  always 
open  and  the  warehouses  on  Long  Wharf  some- 
times contained  as  much  leather  as  there  was  in  the 
Swamp. 

In  dull  seasons  and  in  winter  chequers  was  a 
favorite  game.  Some  merchants  w^ere  expert 
players.  The  headquarters  for  chess  was  in  the 
office  of  T.  &  R.  Stout ;  also,  and  earlier,  in  that  of 
Austin  Melvin.  Mr.  Melvin  was  a  strong  player, 
but  sometimes  he  would  get  excited  and  move  two 
men,  one  in  each  hand.  Wm.  Bullard,  Thomas 
Fraser  and  J.  V.  Van  Woert  were  good  players. 

Peter  Cooper  was  a  familiar  figure  in  the  Swamp. 


SWAMP— 1820-1840.  67 

He  came  into  the  stores  about  New  Years  with  a 
check  book  and  paid  for  the  glue  stock  the  mer- 
chants had  sold  him. 

During  the  winter  of  1847-8  prices  advanced 
and  all  the  leather  that  could  be  moved  was  brought 
down  the  North  River  on  sleds.  Colonel  Zadock 
Pratt  came  into  the  Swamp  behind  four  gray  horses 
with  a  very  large  sled  load  of  sole  leather  all  the 
way  from  Prattsville.  The  Mexican  War  had 
stimulated  the  demand.  Hides  had  been  cheap  for 
some  time  previous  and  as  much  as  eleven  cents  a 
pound  was  realized  for  tanning.  The  California 
fever  kept  the  excitement  up  for  a  time,  after  1849. 

ECLECTIC    FRATERNITY. 

In  1837,  or  thereabouts,  there  was  founded  the 
Eclectic  Fraternity,  a  literary  society  which  became 
somewhat  famous  during  the  few  years  it  existed. 
The  preamble  of  its  Constitution  described  it  as 
having  been  formed  "for  the  purpose  of  mutually 
aiding  each  other  in  mental  cultivation."  They  had 
a  library  and  reading  room  in  the  Swamp  (No.  30 
Ferry  street).  In  the  winter  they  had  lectures. 
Gideon  Lee  delivered  two  on  tanning,  which  were 
published.  In  a  book  containing  the  By-Laws  and 
a  list  of  names  of  the  members,  there  are  sixty- 
seven  set  down  as  belonging  to  it  in  1840.  Among 
them  were  the  following  young  men  connected 
with  the  leather  trade,  either  as  clerks  or  junior 
partners. 

Nicholas  Carroll,  with  Gideon  Lee  &  Co. ;  Jo- 


68  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP. 

seph  E.  Bulkley,  with  Thomas  Pritchett ;  James  R. 
Smith,  morocco  manufacturer;  Edwin  R.  Tre- 
main,  with  V.  Everett  &  Co. ;  Edwin  Smith, 
Perry,  Smith  &  Brown ;  EHjah  T.  Brown,  Perry, 
Smith  &  Brown ;  Jackson  S.  Schultz,  John  V.  Van 
Woert,  James  Kerrigan,  Jr.,  M.  S.  Kerrigan,  Fred- 
erick Fawcett,  Henry  E.  Shackerly,  with  Wm. 
Kumbel;  Charles  Lockwood,  with  H.  &  G.  Brooks; 
John  Westervelt,  Peter  E.  Kevan,  John  Armstrong-, 
Matthew  Armstrong  &  Sons ;  Henry  J.  Brooks, 
WiUiam  Miles,  Thos.  Sniull  &  Co.;  J.  T.  Trotter, 
Cyrus  W.  Field  and  Daniel  C.  Robbins,  of  McKes- 
son &  Robbins,  were  members. 

HORTONS    AS    TANNERS. 

The  first  of  the  Horton  family  to  come  to  this 
country  from  England  was  Barnabas  Horton,  who 
landed  in  1638.  About  1640,  with  Rev.  John 
Davenport,  he  went  from  New  Haven  to  the  east- 
ern part  of  Long  Island  and  founded  the  town  of 
Southold.  A  kettle  is  still  owned  by  a  member  of 
the  family  and  called  "Uncle  Barney's  money  pot," 
which,  tradition  says,  he  brought  from  England 
"filled  with  gold  and  silver."  The  house  he  built 
was  torn  down  in  1880.  It  had  then  stood  220 
years.  The  pot  of  money  has  increased  with  the 
family,  many  thousand  fold. 

THE  PIONEER  TANNER. 
Stephen  Horton  was  the  first  tanner  in  the  family. 
In  1760  he  laid  down  a  tannery  at  Yorktown,  N.  Y. 
He  tanned  upper  leather,  as  sole  leather  was  at 


THE  PIONEER  TANNER.  69 

that  time  all  imported  from  England.  He  died  in 
Yorktown  in  1814.  The  successor  of  Stephen  Hor- 
ton  in  the  tanning  business  was  his  son,  Hon.  Wil- 
liam Horton.  He  went  to  Stephentown,  but  about 
1789  moved  to  Colchester,  N.  Y.  Here  he  built  a 
tannery  and  produced  the  first  sole  leather  ever 
made  in  Delaware  County.  He  also  built  saw  and 
grist  mills.  Delaware  County  was  afterwards  one 
of  the  greatest  leather  producing  sections  of  New 
York  State.  Jay  Gould  was  a  surveyor  there  and 
wrote  a  "History  of  Delaware  County."  William 
Horton  served  several  terms  in  the  New  York 
Legislature.  He  was  also  a  President  Judge  of  the 
county.  He  died  in  the  eighty-eighth  year  of  his 
age. 

Isaac  Horton,  son  of  William  Horton,  continued 
the  tanning  business  and  laid  down  a  yard  at  Lib- 
erty Falls,  N.  Y.  In  1867  there  were  ten  of  his 
children  and  thirty-seven  grandchildren  living. 
His  children  all  lived  to  maturity.  It  was  in  this 
family  that  the  tanners  increased.  His  sons  laid 
the  foundation  of  the  hemlock  sole  leather  business 
of  America  and  made  their  product  famous  all  over 
the  globe. 

These  were  the  names  of  his  children  : 

ISAAC  HORTON'S  CHILDREN. 

Homer,  born  1809;  married  Jane  Davidge. 
Ray,  born  181 1  ;  married  Martha  A.  Radeker. 
James,  born  1813;  married  E.  A.  Clements. 
Charles,  born  181 5  ;  married  Betsy  Grant. 
Esther,  born  1817;  married  Nath,  Gildesleeve. 


70  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP. 

Clarissa,  born  1819;  married  John  C.  Smith. 

Ovid,  born  1821 ;  married  Catherine  Holliday. 

Annis,  born  1824;  married  William  Curd. 

Webb,  born  1826;  married  Eliz.  A.  Radeker. 

Emily,  born  1829;  married  Nich.  M.  Young. 

Some  of  the  sons  of  the  first  Isaac  Horton  were 
tanners  and  the  daughters,  all  but  one,  married 
tanners.  Isaac  Horton  built  two  grist  mills  and 
other  buildings  for  industries  at  Liberty  Falls.  He 
died  in  May,  1855,  aged  75  years.  He  was  among 
the  first  to  send  leather  to  New  York  for  sale. 

Homer  Horton,  oldest  son  of  Isaac  Horton,  was 
a  tanner  at  Callicoon,  N.  Y.  His  sons  rose  to  be 
at  the  head  of  their  profession  as  sole  leather  tan- 
ners. All  of  his  daughters  married  tanners.  The 
names  of  his  children  were  : 

Walter  Horton,  born  1832. 

Lucien  Horton,  born  1836. 

Elizabeth  Horton,  married  Wm.  McNair  in  1855. 

Rachel  Horton,  married  John  McNair,  1861. 

James  Horton,  born  1849. 

Isaac  Horton,  born  1852. 

Sarah  Horton,  born  1855;  married  Lorenzo  R. 
Johnson. 

Walter  Horton,  eldest  son  of  Homer  Horton, 
was,  in  his  lifetime,  the  most  prominent  member  of 
the  great  tanning  family.  He  learned  the  trade 
with  his  father.  He  then  worked  three  years  for 
AlHson,  Davidge  &  Co.,  at  Hancock.  In  1856  the 
firm  of  Allison,  Crary  &  Co.  was  formed  at  Han- 
cock, N.  Y.,  and  Walter  Horton  became  a  partner. 


ISAAC  HORTON'S  CHILDREN.  71 

In  May,  1862  the  tannery  and  bark  piles  were 
destroyed  by  fire.  There  was  little  insurance.  The 
firm  made  an  arrangement  with  Bullard  &  Co.,  of 
New  York,  and  the  tannery  was  rebuilt.  It  so  hap- 
pened that  a  stock  of  hides  and  the  leather  in  the 
vats  was  saved.  The  price  of  leather  advanced  in 
the  next  two  years  from  about  18  cents  to  50  cents 
a  pound  and  the  business  was  very  profitable. 

In  1864  Walter  Horton  went  to  Sheffield,  Pa., 
and  always  resided  there.  His  uncle,  Webb,  weni 
with  him.  They  bought  a  great  tract  of  land. 
Webb  and  Walter  Horton  sold  an  interest  to  H.  H. 
Crary  and  the  firm  of  Horton,  Crary  &  Co  was 
formed.  They  built  the  Sheffield  tannery,  bored 
gas  and  oil  wells  and  were  very  successful  in  their 
operations.  They  also  did  a  lumbering  business. 
Horton,  Crary  &  Co.  bought  an  interest  in  the  tan- 
nery of  J.  F.  Schoellkopf  &  Co.,  in  Sheffield. 
Walter  Horton  was  a  tanning  king.  He  was  a  part- 
ner in  Horton,  Crary  &  Co.;  Schoellkopf,  Horton 
&  Co.;  John  McNair  &  Co.,  of  Sheffield;  Forest 
Tanning  Co.,  of  Brookston ;  G.  &  I.  Horton,  of 
Arroyo;  H.  H.  Crary  &  Co.,  Westfield;  Walter 
Horton  &  Co.,  Harrison  Valley,  Pa. ;  and  James 
Horton  &  Co.,  Salamanca,  N.  Y.  These  firms  in 
nine  tanneries  produced  4,000  sides  of  hemlock  sole 
leather  daily.  It  was  sold  until  1893  by  the  commis- 
sion house  of  Walter  Horton  &  Co.,  Boston. 
Walter  Horton  was  president  of  the  Tionesta  Val- 
ley Railway,  which  ran  through  a  hemlock  bark 
region  seventy-five  miles.    He  had  the  family  taste 


72  HISTORY    OF    TPTK    SWAMP. 

for  travel  and  visited  Europe,  Mexico  and  every 
section  of  his  own  country.  He  died  in  Philadel- 
phia January  31st,  1891,  at  the  Lafayette  Hotel, 
where  he  was  under  medical  treatment.  His  only 
child,  Myra,  married  Louis  Schoellkopf,  son  of  J. 
F.  Schoellkopf,  of  Bufifalo,  N.  Y. 

Lucien  Horton,  second  son  of  Homer  Horton, 
commenced  tanning  at  Lake  Como  in  i860  with 
John  Davidge.  They  named  the  town  after  the 
famous  Italian  lake,  as  it  stood  on  a  similar  body 
of  water.  Mr.  Horton  and  partners  also  built  tan- 
neries at  Berkshire  and  Newark  Valley  about  1864. 
Lucien  Horton  was  a  member  of  the  firms  of  Alli- 
son, Davidge  &  Co.;Davidge,  Horton  &  Co.,  and 
Davidge,  Landfield  &  Co.,  at  Lake  Como,  Berk- 
shire and  Newark  Valley,  and  that  of  Davidge  & 
Co.,  of  English  Centre.  He  was  a  man  of  com- 
manding form  and  possessed  eminent  social  and 
business  qualities.  He  lived  at  Berkshire.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  of  the  town 
and  was  offered  the  Congressional  nomination,  but 
declined  it.  He  died  November  nth,  1892.  One 
of  his  sons,  Charles  Sumner  Llorton,  is  president 
of  the  Union  Tanning  Company,  and  another,  Roy 
Horton,  is  superintendent  of  tanneries. 

Elizabeth,  eldest  daughter  of  Homer  Horton, 
married  William  McNair  in  1855.  Mr.  McNair 
went  to  Sheffield  in  1865  with  Webb  Horton, 
Walter  Horton  and  other  members  of  the  family. 
He  was  a  practical  tanner,  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Horton,  Crary  &  Co.    He  died  in  Sheffield  in  1876, 


HOSIER  HORTON'S  CHILDREN.  -j^ 

William  McNair  had  three  daughters.  The 
eldest,  Jennie,  married  Lane  B.  Schofield,  formerly 
of  Walter  Horton  &  Co.,  now  a  member  of  the 
banking  house  of  Schofield,  Whicher  &  Co.,  Bos- 
ton. Mr.  Schofield'owTis  an  estate  at  Newton  and 
indulges  his  tastes  as  a  gentleman  farmer. 

Rachel  B.  Horton,  second  daughter  of  Homer 
Horton,  married  John  McNair,  who  began  busi- 
ness in  Callicoon,  N.  Y._  as  a  lumber  merchant.  lu 
1870  he  went  to  Shefifield  and  formed  the  firm  o\ 
John  McNair  &  Co..  with  Horton,  Crary  & 
Co.,  and  C.  W.  R.  Radeker  as  partners. 
He  engaged  in  the  tanning  business  and  learned 
the  art  with  Horton,  Crary  &  Co.,  and  with 
Ihem  built  the  Tionesta  tannery,  which  he  took 
charge  of.  He  continued  tanning  and  lumbering 
until  the  business  was  merged  in  the  United  States 
Leather  Company. 

Sarah  Horton,  youngest  daughter  of  Homer  Hor- 
ton, married  Lorenzo  Johnson.  His  father,  James 
Johnson,  was  a  tanner  at  Denning,  N.  Y.,  and  his 
grandfather,  James  Johnson,  first  tanned  sole  leather 
at  Neversink,  Ulster  County,  more  than  half  a  cen- 
tury ago.  Lorenzo  Johnson  is  general  superin- 
tendent of  tanneries  for  the  United  States  Leather 
Company. 

James  Horton,  third  son  of  Homer  Horton,  is 
president  of  the  United  States  Leather  Company. 
He  is  a  practical  tanner.  He  began  his  career  with 
Allison,  Crary  &  Co.  Then  he  went  to  Westfield, 
Pa.     He  was  best  known  as  the'  proprietor  of  the 


74  HISTORY    OF   THE    SWAMP. 

Westficld  and  Harrison  Valley  (known  as  the  Cow- 
ancsque),  and  Salamanca,  N.  Y.,  tanneries,  large 
and  finely  appointed  sole  leather  yards.  James  Hor- 
ton  is  at  the  head  of  the  largest  tanning  organiza- 
tion ever  known.  The  company  owns  more  than 
a  hundred  tanneries  and  have  a  capital  equal  to 
^124,000^,000.  Mr.  Horton,  its  president,  is,  of 
course,  a  very  busy  man,  but  he  possesses  in  full 
measure  the  Horton  executive  ability.  The  com- 
pany has  prospered  exceedingly  and  twice  in- 
creased its  dividends  since  Mr.  Horton  took  charge 
of  it.  He  was,  on  February  28th,  1901,  re-elected 
for  the  fourth  time  as  its  president.  James  Horton 
married  Wilhelmena  Garritt,  sister  of  Wm.  Henry 
and  Walter  G.  Garritt,  both  tanners.  Walter  G. 
Garritt  is  a  member  of  the  Executive  Committee  of 
the  company  and  is  located  in  Boston.  Two  sons 
of  James  Horton,  W.  G.  Horton  and  Sidney  Hor- 
ton, are  tanners. 

Isaac  Horton,  youngest  son  of  Homer  Horton, 
learned  the  trade  of  his  father.  He  became  a  part- 
ner in  Horton,  Crary  &  Co.  and  Horton,  Johnson 
&  Co.,  Kellettville,  Pa.,  and  was  connected  with  the 
Sheffield  tanneries.  He  was  vice-president  of  the 
Penn  Tanning  Company.  Isaac  Horton  was  an 
energetic,  active  man,  well  beloved  and  highly  re- 
spected. He  died  in  Sheffield,  September  9th,  1899, 
aged  48  years. 

These  were  the  sons  and  daughters  of  Homer 
Horton.  His  wife,  Jane  Davidge,  belonged  to  a 
famous  tanning  family.     Her  brother,  John  Dav- 


.  DAVIDGE  FIRMS.  75 

idge,  was  a  tanner.  With  H.  H.  Crary  he  built  the 
tannery  at  Sands  Creek,  near  Hancock,  in  1849. 
With  Lucien  Horton  he  built  the  Lake  Como  tan- 
nery and  settled  and  named  the  town.  In  1865  he 
sold  to  A.  E.  Babcock  and  engaged  in  tanning  at 
Berkshire,  Tioga  County,  with  his  eldest  son,  James 
Davidge,  and  Lucien  Horton  as  Davidge,  Horton 
&  Co.,  and  later  with  Geo.  H.  Allison  and  Jerome 
B.  Landfield  as  Davidge,  Landfield  &  Co.  These 
firms  owned  the  Berkshire,  Tioga  and  Maine  tan- 
neries.    John  Davidge  died  in  1880. 

James  Davidge,  eldest  son  of  John  Davidge,  was 
superintendent  of  the  Berkshire  tannery.  He  was 
able  and  successful  in  his  calling  and  one  of  the 
originators  of  the  United  States  Leather  Company. 
He  was  a  member  and  officer  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  Binghamton,  where  he  resided  for  many 
years.  He  owned  and  developed  timber  and  min- 
eral lands  in  West  Virginia  and  North  Carolina. 
He  was  a  director  in  the  Binghamton  Sugar  Beet 
Compan}-.  He  died  August  22d,  1898.  His  son, 
John  'M.  Davidge,  was  with  the  United  States 
Leather  Company 

Of  the  other  sons  of  John  Davidge  these  are  con- 
nected with  the  L^nited  States  Leather  Company : 

Sherwood  B.  Davidge,  superintendent  of  the 
Newark  \'alley  and  Berkshire  tanneries.  An  ex- 
cellent man  and  a  thorough  practical  tanner. 

Edson  G.  Davidge,  a  director  in  the  company  and 
purchaser  of  supplies. 

Samuel  P.  Davidge,  director  in  the  company  and 


76  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP. 

manager  of  export  and  sales  department. 

Gifford  G.  Davidge,  in  the  sales  department. 

Horace  H.  Crary  was  a  prominent  tanner.  He 
married  Polly  liurr.  She  was  an  aunt  of  the  Dav- 
idge family  of  tanners.  Her  sister,  Eunice,  mar- 
ried John  Davidge ;  another  sister  married  Lucien 
Horton.  Mr.  Crary  started  tanning  in  1850  as  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Allison,  Davidge  &  Co. ;  this 
was  changed  to  Allison,  Crary  &  Co.,  and  later  to 
Crary  Brothers.  I'hey  tanned  at  Hancock,  N.  Y. 
He  was  also  a  member  of  the  firms  of  H.  H.  Crary 
&  Co.,  Westfield ;  Walter  Horton  &  Co.,  Harrison 
Valley ;  James  Horton  &  Co.,  Salamanca,  N.  Y., 
and  a  partner  in  all  the  sole  leather  tanneries  at 
Sheffield,  Pa.  All  his  interests  were  transferred  to 
the  United  States  Leather  Co.  in  1893  and  he  re- 
tired from  business.  Pie  died  in  Binghampton,  N. 
Y.,  June  nth,  1898,  aged  74  years. 

One  son,  Calvert  Crary,  married  a  daughter  of 
James  Horton.  He  is  with  the  United  States 
Leather  Company  in  Boston.  A  cousin,  Roscoe 
Crary,  is  manager  of  their  Chicago  store. 

Jerry  Crary  was  the  youngest  brother  of  Horace 
H.  Crary.  He  enlisted  in  the  war  and  was  wounded 
in  the  battle  of  Resaca,  Ga.,  in  1864.  He  returned 
home  and  engaged  as  book-keeper  for  Horton, 
Crary  &  Co.,  and  later  was  taken  in  the  firm.  In 
1 881  Jerry  Crary,  with  his  partners,  drilled  and 
struck  oil  about  three  miles  from  Sheffield  on  land 
owned  by  Horton,  Crary  &  Co.  Subsequent  drill- 
ing developed  large  quantities  of  oil  and  made  their 


ISAAC  MORTON'S  CHILDREN.  yj 

lands^  after  being  stripped  of  timber,  a  new  source 
of  wealth.  Jerry  Crary  is  a  director  in  the  United 
States  Leather  Company,  and  was  president  of  the 
Penn  Tanning  Company. 

James  Horton,  third  son  of  Isaac  Horton,  was 
not  a  tanner,  bnt  his  son,  Arthur  Horton,  was 
brought  up  to  the  business  and  is  with  the  United 
States  Leather  Company  at  the  Paw  Paw  tannery. 

Charles  Horton,  the  fourth  son  of  Isaac  Horton, 
was  the  first  of  his  sons  to  learn  the  tanning  trade, 
which  he  did  with  Sherman  H.  Case,  notable  as  one 
of  the  most  skilful  sole  leather  tanners  of  his  time. 
He  was  the  first  to  unhair  by  sweating. 

In  1844  Charles  Horton  bought  Mr.  Case's  in- 
terest in  the  Liberty  tannery,  which  was  thereafter 
carried  on  by  the  firm  of  Gildersleeve  &  Horton. 
Nathaniel  Gildersleeve,  his  brother-in-law,  was  his 
partner.  Charles  Horton  built  the  North  Branch 
tannery  at  Callicoon  in  1849,  i^  connection  with  his 
uncle,  Charles  Knapp,  who  was  a  banker.  In  1854 
he  built  the  Narrowsburg  tannery  in  Wayne 
County,  Pa.,  with  his  brother,  Webb  Horton.  Then 
with  his  cousin,  George  E.  Knapp,  he  bought  the 
Stevens  tannery  at  Cochecton  Centre,  Pa.  In 
connection  with  his  brother,  Webb  Horton, 
and  his  nephew,  Walter  Horton,  property  was 
bought  at  Shefitield  with  the  idea  of  build- 
ing a  tannery  there,  but  Charles  Horton 
sold  his  interest  to  Webb  and  Walter  Horton, 
who  afterwards,  with  H.  H.  Crary  and  Wm.  Mc- 
Nair,  formed  the  firm  of  Horton,  Crary  &  Co.  and 


7S  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP. 

took  that  property.  In  1871,  with  Oscar  B.  Grant, 
he  built  the  Ridgway  tannery  in  Pennsylvania.  He 
afterwards  sold  his  interest  to  G.  B,  Horton  &  Co. 
]n  1883,  with  his  son,  G.  B.  Horton  and  his  nephew, 
Eug-ene  Horton,  he  built  the  Watauga  tannery  .it 
Johnson  City,  Tenn.  Mr.  Horton  retired  from  ac- 
tive business  long  before  he  ceased  investing  mone)' 
in  tanneries.  He  lived  at  his  beautiful  residence 
in  Middletown,  N.  Y.,  and  died  there  November 
3d,  1876. 

He  was  a  thorough  tanner  and  a  sagacious  busi- 
ness man.  He  spent  much  time  in  traveling,  and 
was  thoroughly  conversant  with  international  af- 
fairs. He  w^as  the  father  of  G.  B.  and  Melvin  Hor- 
ton. His  eldest  daughter  married  S.  H.  Yocum, 
who  was  connected  with  the  Watauga  tannery  for 
several  years.  Their  son,  John  H.  Yocum,  is  an 
expert  leather  chemist. 

Charles  Horton  married  Betsy  Grant.  She  was 
a  sister  of  Robert  Young  Grant,  who  owned  the 
Liberty  tannery.  He  was  a  State  Senator  of  New 
York  in  1859-1860.  His  son,  Oscar  B.  Grant, 
adopted  tanning,  and  with  Charles  Horton,  built 
the  Ridgeway  tannery.  Charles  Horton  sold  his 
interest  to  his  sons  and  the  firm  of  Grant  &  Hor- 
ton operated  it  until  it  was  merged  in  the  United 
States  Leather  Co.  Oscar  B.  Grant  is  first  vice- 
president  of  the  United  States  Leather  Company. 
He  was  a  lieutenant  in  the  United  States  Navy  and 
holds  a  commission  signed  by  Abraham  Lincoln. 

George  E.  Knapp  was  connected  with  Webb  and 


ISAAC  HORTON'S  CHILDREN.  79 

Charles  Horton  in  the  Cochecton  tannery.  He 
was  their  cousin.  His  son  Fred.  E.  Knapp  is  with 
the  United  States  Leather  Company.  He  married 
a  daughter  of  G.  B.  Horton. 

Gurdon  B.  Horton^  son  of  Charles  Horton  and 
Betsy  Grant,  was  born  at  Liberty  Falls,  N.  Y., 
July  8th,  1845.  He  was  well  educated  and  learned 
the  art  of  tanning. 

In  1863  he  came  to  New  York,  where  he  was 
employed  by  Henry  McClellan  at  No.  g  Ferry 
street,  in  the  sole  leather  trade.  In  1865  he  entered 
the  store  of  Hoyt  Bros.  While  with  them  he  com- 
menced the  tanning  business  by  sending  out  a  few 
hides  to  be  tanned  by  the  pound  at  the  North 
Branch  and  Cochecton  tanneries,  then  owned  by 
his  father.  On  October  ist,  1867,  the  firm  of  G.  B. 
Horton  &  Co.,  composed  of  G.  B.  Horton,  J.  B. 
Radcliffe  and  Melvin  Horton,  was  formed.  Mel- 
vin  Horton  died,  but  the  business  was  conducted 
by  the  surviving  partners  until  1893.  G.  B.  Horton 
bought  from  his  father  an  interest  in  the  firm  of 
Grant  &  Horton,  Ridgway.  In  1880  the  firm  of 
Landfield,  Davidge  &  Co.  was  formed.  The  part- 
ners were  the  firms  of  Davidge,  Landfield  &  Co., 
Davidge,  Horton  &  Co.,  S.  P.  Davidge  and  G.  B. 
Horton.  They  bought  the  Leicester  tannery, 
which,  at  the  time  of  the  purchase,  was  tanning  by 
the  pound  for  G.  B.  Horton  &  Co.  In  1883  G.  B. 
Horton  sold  his  interest  to  C.  S.  Horton,  now  presi- 
dent of  the  Union  Tanning  Company.  In  connec- 
tion with  S.  H.  Yocum,  Eugene  Horton  and  Henry 


8o  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP. 

Gildersleeve,  under  the  firm  of  Horton,  Yocum  & 
Co.,  the  Watauga  tannery  was  built  at  Josnson  City, 
Tenn.  This  firm  is  still  in  existence  as  Horton,  Gil- 
dersleeve &  Co.  although  not  in  tanning. 

The  Watauga  oak  sole  leather  was  sold  in  New 
York  by  G.  B.  Horton  and  Eugene  Horton,  doing 
business  as  Horton  &  Co.  Soon  after  this  G.  B. 
Horton,  Eugene  Horton,  H.  R.  Gurd  and. William 
Gurd  bought  the  New  Creek  Tannery  in  Mineral 
County,  West  Virginia.  The  firm  was  Horton  & 
Gurd.  In  May,  1893,  all  these  interests  were  merged 
in  the  United  States  Leather  Company.  G.  B.  Hor- 
ton has  been  a  director  in  that  and  the  Union  Tan- 
ning Company  since  that  time  and  was  for  some 
time  a  member  of  the  Executive,  the  Hide  Purchas- 
ing and  the  Land  Committees.  In  March,  1899,  he 
was  elected  president  of  the  Brooklyn  Wharf  and 
Warehouse  Co.,  but  resigned  at  the  end  of  the  year. 
In  I90i,with  Edward  R.,  and  Joseph  H.  Ladew  and 
John  H.  Yocum,  he  formed  the  Yocum  Manufac- 
turing Co.  with  tanneries  at  Newark. 

Melvin  Horton,  son  of  Charles  Horton,  came  to 
New  York  in  1867  to  enter  the  firm  of  G.  B.  Hor- 
ton &  Co.  He  bought  from  his  father  part  of  the 
interest  in  the  Ridgway  tannery  and  was  a  partner 
in  Grant  &  Horton,  He  died  at  Middletown, 
N.  Y. 

Ovid  Horton,  fifth  son  of  Isaac  Horton,  was  con- 
nected with  tanning.  He  also  owned  flour  and  lum- 
ber mills  at  Liberty  Falls.  His  eldest  son,  George 
Horton,  was  born  in  Liberty  Falls,  N  .Y.,  in  1847. 


OTHER    HORTONS.  8i 

George  Horton  was  brought  up  in  the  tanning  busi- 
ness and  was  a  member  of  the  firms  of  Horton, 
Johnson  &  Co.,  Kellettsville ;  G.  &  I.  Horton,  Ar- 
roya;  Horton,  Crary  &  Co.,  and  was  superintend- 
ent of  four  taneries.  He  was  well-known  in  New 
York  and  Boston  as  a  buyer  of  hides.  Mr.  Horton 
was  taken  sick  while  visiting  Mexico  with  a  large 
party  of  friends.  He  returned  and  died  in  Sheffield, 
Pa.,  March  4th,  1893.  He  left  a  large  estate  to  his 
wife  and  two  sons. 

Another  son  of  Ovid  Horton  was  James  Halli- 
day  Horton,  of  Horton,  Crary  &  Co.,  who  died  in 
July,  1899. 

Webb  Horton,  the  youngest  son  of  the  first  Isaac 
Horton,  was  a  clerk  for  Gildersleeve  &  Horton 
from  1844  to  1848,  and  afterwards  a  merchant 
at  Liberty  Falls  from  1848  to  1853.  Then  he  be- 
came largely  engaged  in  tanning.  From  1854  to 
1864  he  tanned  at  Narrowsburg.  In  1864  Webb 
and  Walter  Horton  and  Wm.  McNair  bought  the 
property  at  Sheffield,  Pa.  In  1867  they  took  in 
Horace  H.  Crary,  formed  the  firm  of  Horton,  Crary 
&  Co.,  and  built  the  tannery.  Webb  Horton  has 
lived  in  Middletown,  N.  Y.,  since  1868,  but  has 
been  a  great  traveler,  having  visited  all  parts  of  this 
country,  been  through  IMexico  three  times  and 
made  the  tour  of  Europe  in  1880  and  again  in  1885. 
He  was  postmaster  of  Liberty  Falls  from  1848  to 
1850  and  of  Shef^eld  from  1865  to  1868.  He  has 
for  some  years  spent  a  part  of  tlie  winter  in  New 
York,    Although  retired  from  business,  he  likes  to 


82  HISTORY    OF   THE    SWAMP. 

meet  the  leather  merchants  and  visits  the  Swamp 
often.  He  has  been  connected  with  tanning  about 
fifty  years  and  has  done  much  to  forward  the  leather 
interests. 

Eugene  Horton,  son  of  Webb  Horton,  was  a 
memberofthetanningfirm  of  Horton,  Gildersleeve 
&  Co.,  of  Johnson  City,  Tenn.;  Horton  &  Gurd, 
New  Creek,  West  Va.,  and  Horton  &  Co.,  New 
York.  He  is  a  director  in  the  United  States  Leather 
Company. 

Isaac  Horton  had  four  daughters.  Three  of  them 
married  tanners,  as  follows  : 

Esther  Horton,  eldest  daughter  of  Isaac  Horton, 
married  Nathaniel  Gildersleeve.  His  father,  James 
Gildersleeve,  was  a  tanner  at  Liberty,  N.  Y.,  more 
than  seventy  years  ago.  In  1841  Sherman  H.  Case 
and  Nathaniel  Gildersleeve  built  a  tannery  at  Lib- 
Horton  and  the  firm  of  Gildersleeve  &  Horton  did 
business  there  several  years  and  were  successful. 
Sons  of  Nathaniel  Gildersleeve  were  William, 
Henry  and  Isaac.  Isaac  Gildersleeve  was  at  Co- 
cheeton  Centre  for  a  while  as  partner,  and  William 
and  Henry  Gildersleeve  run  Liberty  Falls  tannery 
for  a  few  years.  William  is  now  deceased.  Henry 
Gildersleeve  is  superintendent  of  the  Watauga  tan- 
nery. Another  tanner  in  this  family  was  James 
Gildersleeve,  Jr.,  who  built  the  Belford  tannery  at 
Forestburg,  N.  Y.  His  son,  Charles,  was  asso- 
ciated with  him  and  tanned  at  Forestburg  until  the 
yard  was  abandonee}. 


OTHER    HORTONS.  83 

Clarissa  Horton  married  Captain  John  C.  Smith 
in  1850.  Captain  Smith,  with  H.  H.  Crary,  John 
Davidge  and  Edson  Gregory,  built  the  Hancock 
tannery.    Three  sons  of  John  C.  Smith  are  tanners. 

Perry  R.  Smith  is  vice-president  of  the  Elk  Tan- 
ning Company  and  superintendent  of  their  hem- 
lock tanneries.  With  his  brothers,  Charles  and 
Flavins  Smith,  he  built  the  Arrogo  tannery  and 
sold  it  in  1893  to  the  United  States  Leather  Com- 
pany. 

Annis  horton  married  William  Gurd. 

Here  we  have  a  record  of  about  forty  tanners, 
either  Hortons  or  connected  closely  with  the  Hor- 
ton family.  This  is  the  greatest  tanning  family  the 
world  ever  saw.  All  were  distinguished  men  and 
reached  high  positions  in  trade  circles.  Most  of 
them  sold  their  leather  in  New  York  through  their 
own  stores  or  the  commission  house  of  Bullard 
&  Co. 

Webb  Horton's  Firms. 

When  Webb  Horton  went  out  of  business  he 
was  a  member  of  all  these  firms : 

Horton,  Crary  &  Co.,  established  1867. 

Schoellkopf,  Horton  &  Co.,  established  1870. 

John  McNair  &  Co.,  established  1874. 

Forest  Tanning  Co. 

G.  &  I.  Horton  &  Co. 

They    owned   the   Sheffield,   Horton,   Tionesta, 
Forest  and  Arroyo  tanneries,  which  were  merged 
in  the  United  States  Leather  Company. 
Charles  Horton's  Tanning  Operations  and  Firms. 


84  HISTORY    OF   THE    SWAMP. 

Liberty  Tannery,  working  for  Case  &  Gilder- 
sleeve,  1842. 

Gildersleeve  &  Horton,  about  1844. 
North  Branch  Tannery. 

Horton  &  Knapp  (Chas.  Knapp),  1848;  North 
Branch. 

Horton  &  Beach  (E.  Beach),  North  Branch. 

Horton,  Curtis  &  Clements  (J.  R.  Clements), 
North  Branch. 

Horton,  Clements  &  Co.  (Thos.  Casey). 
Narrowsburg  Tannery,  1854. 

Horton  &  Co.,  Narrowsburg. 

Horton,  Darby  &  Co.  (Nelson  Darby). 
Cochocton  Tannery,  1856. 

Horton,  Knapp  &  Co. 

Ridgway,  1867. 

Grant  &  Horton  (O.  B.  Grant). 
Ridgway,  1871. 

Grant  &  Horton  (O.  B.  Grant,  G.  B.  Horton  and 
Melvil  Horton. 

Gurdon  B.  Horton's  Firms. 

G.  B.  Horton  &  Co.,  New  York,  partners  G.  B. 
Horton,  Melvin  Horton,  J.  B.  Radcliffe. 

Grant  &  Horton,  tanners,  Ridgway;  O.  B.  Grant, 
G.  B.  Horton,  Melvin  Horton. 

Horton,  Yocum  &  Co.,  Watauga  Tannery,  Tcn- 
nesee;  G.  B.  Horton,  Eugene  Horton,  Scth  H.  Yo- 
cum, Henry  Gildersleeve. 

Horton,  Gildersleeve  &  Co.,  Watauga ;  G.  B. 
Horton,  Eugene  Horton,  H.  Gildersleeve. 

Horton  &  Co.,  New  York;  G.  B.  Horton,  Eu- 


TANNING  FIRMS.  85 

gene  Hortoii. 

Horton  &  Gurd ;  G.  B.  Horton,  Engene  Horton, 
Henry  R.  and  Wm.  Gurd. 

Walter  Morton's  Tanning  Firms. 

Employed  by  Allison,  Davidge  &  Co.,  1849- 
1852. 

Superintendent  for  Thomas  Smull  &  Co.,  1852- 
1856. 

Partner  in  Allison,  Crary  &  Co.;  L.  H.  Allison, 
H,  H.  Crary,  Walter  Horton. 

W.  &  W.  Horton,  Sheffield,  Pa.,  1866;  Webb 
Horton,  Walter  Horton. 

Horton,  Crary  &  Co.,  Sheffield;  Webb  Horton, 
Walter  Horton,  Wm.  McNair,  Jerry  Crary,  1867. 

Schoellkopf,  Horton  &  Co.,  Sheffield;  J.  F. 
Schoellkopf,  Horton,  Crary  &  Co.,  Charles  Sigel. 

Tionesta  Tannery ;  Horton,  Crary  &  Co.,  John 
McNair,  C.  W.  R.  Radeker,  1867. 

Forest  Tannery,  Brookston,  Pa. 

Arroyo  Tannery,  Arroyo,  Pa.,  George  and  Isaac 
Horton  and  Horton,  Crary  &  Co. 

H.  H.  Crary  &  Co.,  Westfield,  Pa.,  1873;  H.  H. 
Crary,  Walter  Horton,  James  Horton,  Edson  G. 
Davidge,  1880. 

Walter  Horton  &  Co.,  Harrison  Valley,  Pa.; 
Walter  Horton,  H.  H.  Crary,  W.  G.  Garritt,  L.  R. 
Johnson. 

James  Horton  &  Co.,  Salamanca,  N.  Y. ;  James 
Horton,  Walter  Horton. 

Walter  Horton  &  Co.,  Boston,  commission  mer- 
chants, representing-  twelve  tanneries. 


86  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP. 

James  Horton's  firms  were : 

H.  H.  Crary  &  Co.,  Westfield,  Pa. 

Walter  Horton  &  Co.,  Harrison  Valley,  Pa. 

James  Horton  &  Co.,  Salamanca,  N.  Y, 

Garritt,  Davidge  &  Co.,  Tiog-a,  Pa. 

Walter  Horton  &  Co.,  Boston,  Mass. 

From  1893  to  1897  vice-president  of  the  United 
States  Leather  Company. 

1897,  president  of  the  United  States  Leather 
Company. 

SCHULTZ    FIRMS. 

Morgan  L.  Smith  and  Abraham  L  Schultz 
formed  the  firm  of  Smith  &  Schiiltz,  Poughkeepsie, 
in  1824.  Mr.  Smith  had  married  Mr.  Schnltz's  sis- 
ter. The  Lafayette  Tannery  in  Delaware  County 
belonged  to  them.  Mr.  Schultz  was  the  tanner. 
Mr.  Smith  sold  the  leather.  In  1827  the  firm  re- 
moved to  New  York  and  located  at  the  east  corner 
of  Jacob  and  Ferry  streets.  Mr.  Smith  lived  over 
the  store.  He  was  afterwards  Colonel  of  the 
Twenty-seventh  (now  Seventh)  Regiment  and  a  so- 
ciety leader.  He  entertained  the  best  people  in 
New  York  in  his  house.  This  firm  lasted  ten  years. 
Mr.  Smith  then  retired  and  formed  the  firm  of 
Smith  &  Adriance  in  1840,  bankers  and  railroad 
promoters.  Mr.  Smith  was  the  first  Consul  to 
Texas  and  held  the  office  until  Texas  became  a 
State.  His  son-in-law,  John  H.  Brower,  succeeded 
to  his  business  and  became  a  well-known  hide 
dealer.    Colonel  Smith  died  in  Newark  in  1884. 


TANNING  FIRMS.  87 

When  Smith  &  Schiiltz  were  in  business  jNIr. 
Smith  and  Ogden  E.  Edwards,  a  Swamp  merchant, 
bought  a  farm  on  Broadway,  where  the  Hoffman 
House  stands.  It  cost  them  $1,250  the  lot,  25  X 
100  feet.  They  lost  much  money  by  the  deprecia- 
tion of  this  property.  This  was  in  1836.  The  next 
year  was  one  of  great  financial  disturbance.  Smith 
&  Schultz  assigned  to  Jackson  S.  Schultz,  a  son  of 
the  junior  partner,  who  had  just  graduated  in 
W^aterville  College.  Enough  was  realized  to  pay 
the  debts  in  full,  but  A.  I.  Schultz  resumed  tanning, 
moved  to  EUenville,  N.  Y.,  and  the  firm  dissolved. 

In  1836  Edmund  M.  Young,  the  bookkeeper  for 
Smith  &  Schultz,  accepted  a  commission  from  his 
uncle,  Richard  Nelson,  of  Poughkeepsie,  to  go  to 
New  Orleans.  He  returned  as  Smith  &  Schultz 
were  liquidating  and  made  a  proposition  to  Jack- 
son S.  Schultz  to  go  in  business  with  him.  Richard 
Nelson  loaned  his  nephew  $3,000.  Mr.  Schultz  had 
$5,000  of  his  own  money.  With  this  capital  the 
firm  of  Young  &  Schultz  commenced  in  1838.  The 
union  sole  leather  business  was  developed  by  "them 
and  for  a  quarter  of  a  century  this  house  controlled 
nearly  all  the  output  of  the  country.  Mr.  Schultz 
lived  for  many  years  on  Cliff  near  Ferry  street,  near 
his  store.  E.  M.  Young  was  an  originator  and  one 
of  the  directors  of  the  Park  Bank.  He  died  in  Oc- 
tober, 1864.  When  E.  M.  Young  died  Jackson  S. 
Schultz,  John  C.  Southwick  and  James  H.  Percival 
formed  the  firm  of  Schultz,  Southwick  &  Co.  Theo- 
dore Schultz  was  admitted  later.     John  C.  South- 


88  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMT. 

wick  retired  and  Schultz,  Inncs  &  Co.  succeeded. 
Adam  Innes  was  a  partner,  and  his  five  sons, 
owners  of  the  "Scotch  Yards,"  had  an  interest. 
Louis  H.  Schultz,  a  son,  and  Edward  W.  Richard- 
son, a  son-in-law  of  J.  S.  Schultz,  became  partners. 
The  tanneries  of  the  firm  were  merged  in  the  United 
States  Leather  Company  in  1893.  Jackson  S. 
Schultz  died  March  i,  1891. 

Jackson  S.  Schultz  was  a  progressive  tanner  and 
a  whole-souled,  generous  public-spirited  man.  He 
was  always  engaged  in  good  works.  In  i860  he 
went  to  England  with  J.  E.  Bulkley  and  Isaac  H. 
Bailey.  All  three  labored  to  secure  "the  attention  of 
the  British  public  to  the  advantages  of  American 
leather  and  their  efforts  doubtless  had  much  to  do 
with  its  general  introduction  into  Europe  later. 

In  1873  Mr.  Schultz  was  made  Chief  C'cnimis- 
sioner  of  the  United  States  at  the  World's  Fair  at 
Vienna.  It  was  from  that  exposition  that  our  large 
leather  trade  with  Germany  originated.  Previous 
to  1873  our  exports  of  leather  to  that  country  were 
hardly  more  than  $100,000;  now  they  are  $4,000,- 
000  at  least,  and  the  rest  of  Europe  $8,000,000 
more,  with  a  moral  certainty  that  they  will  continue 
to  increase  steadily  and  considerably. 

In  1876  IMr.  Schultz  wrote  "The  Leather  Manu- 
facture of  the  United  States,"  a  standard  work,  pub- 
lished by  the  "Shoe  and  Leather  Reporter."  It  is 
now  out  of  print. 

In  the  fall  of  1880  Mr.  Schultz  offered  three  gold 
medals  for  the   best   results   in  tanning  different 


TANNING  FIRMS.  89 

kinds  of  hemlock  and  union  leather.  There  were 
several  competitors,  and  a  committee  of  three 
leather  merchants  in  the  Swamp  examined  the  lots 
and  reported  that  the  Laporte  tannery  of  Thorne, 
AIcFarlane  &  Co.  was  entitled  to  one  for  the  best 
results  in  acid  hemlock ;  the  Cappon  &  Bertsch 
Leather  Company,  of  Holland,  Mich.,  to  the  medal 
for  the  best  non-acid  hemlock,  and  the  "Acme"  tan- 
nery of  G.  W.  Childs  &  Co.  for  the  best  union 
tanned  leather,  for  gain  and  finish.  The  medals, 
which  were  $20  gold  pieces  smoothed  down  on  one 
side  and  suitably  inscribed,  were  presented  to  the 
successful  contestants  in  January,  1881. 

In  May,  1882,  Mr.  Schultz  established  the  busi- 
ness of  extracting  tannin  from  hemlock  bark  at 
Daguscahonda,  Pa.,  in  which  he  continued  up  to 
the  time  of  his  decease. 

Adam  Innes  learned  tanning  in  Scotland.  He 
came  to  New  York  in  1848,  entering  the  employ  of 
A.  I.  Schultz,  at  Ellenville.  He  remained  there 
seventeen  }'ears  and  became  part  owner  in  that 
tannery.  He  was  also  a  partner  with  Brainard 
Bowen,  of  Troy,  Pa.,  tanning  union  leather.  In 
1865  he  removed  to  Granville,  Pa.  His  five  sons, 
Robert,  Daniel,  John  A.,  Colin  and  Judson  K.  In- 
nes, were  taught  the  business  and  taken  as  part- 
ners as  they  grew  up.  He  reared  one  of  the  largest 
tanning  families  in  the  country.  They  owned  the 
"Scotch  Yards,"  tanning  union  sole.  Father  and 
sons  were  afterwards  partners  or  interested  in  the 
firm  of  Schultz,  Innes  &  Co.,  of  New  York.  Adam 


90 


HISTORY    OF   THE    SWAMP. 


JACKSON  S.  SCHULTZ. 


JACKSON  SCHULTZ.  91 

Innes  was  president  of  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Canton,  Pa..  His  son,  Daniel  Innes,  succeeded 
him  in  that  office.  Adam  Innes  died  March  loth, 
1886,  aged  65  years. 

John  C.  Southwick  came  from  Lowell,  Mass., 
and  went  with  Young  &  Schultz  when  a  boy.  He 
was  a  relation  of  the  old  Massachusetts  tanners  and 
the  Quakers  of  that  name.  His  only  sister  married 
J.  C.  Ayer,  of  Lowell,  the  sarsaparilla  doctor  and 
millionaire.  John  C.  Southwick  married  a  niece  of 
Aaron  and  H.  B.  Claflin.  He  retired  from  the  firm 
of  Schultz,  Southwick  &  Co.  about  1890. 

James  H.  Percival  was  a  bookkeeper  with  Young 
&  Shultz.  He  married  Mary  Chichester,  a  sistei 
of  Mr.  Schultz's  first  wife.  He  was  a  partner  in 
Schultz,  Southwick  &  Co.  and  Schultz,  Innes 
&  Co. 

Edward  W.  Richardson  was  brought  up  in  the 
store  and  became  a  partner  with  Schultz,  Innes  ^ 
Co.  He  married  Kate,  the  youngest  daughter  of 
J.  S.  Schultz.  Theodore  Schultz,  oldest  son  of  J. 
S.  Schultz,  was  a  partner  in  the  firm  until  he  died, 
in  1886.  Louis  H.  Schultz,  the  youngest  son  was 
a  partner  with  Schultz,  Innes  &  Co.  until  they  were 
merged  with  the  United  States  Leather  Company 
in  1893. 

UNION  SOLE  LEATHER. 

The  first  union  sole  leather  was  tanned  at  Ellen- 
ville,  N.  Y.,  in  1833  by  Abraham  I.  Schultz.  father 
of  Jackson  S.  and  Morris  M.  Schultz,  afterwards 
famous  tanners.     The  lot  was  fifty  backs.     R.  C. 


Oi  HISTORY    OF   THE    SWAMP. 

Benedict,  of  Benedict,  Hall  &  Co.,  New  York, 
bought  it  and  cut  it  up  into  soles.  It  was  hand- 
some and  wore  well.  For  some  time  the  product 
of  fifty  backs  a  week  were  kept  up.  Smith  & 
Schultz,  in  New  York,  sold  it.  There  was  90  per 
cent,  hemlock  and  10  per  cent,  oak  bark  in  it.  In 
1845  there  were  only  30,000  backs  made  in  the 
country.  Smith  &  Schultz  sold  it  all.  The  busi- 
ness increased  rapidly  after  1850  and  several  tan- 
ners made  fortunes.  Keck  &  Mosser,  at  Allen- 
town,  and  Stephen  Kistler,  at  Stroudsburg  and 
Tannersville,  were  notable  examples.  H.  G.  Lap- 
ham  tanned  with  good  results.  The  Deckers  were 
early  producers.  In  1878  there  were  800,000  union 
backs  cut  up  in  Massachusetts.  Now  the  use  of 
this  leather  is  universal  in  this  country. 

STEPHEN    KISTLER. 

Was  one  of  the  most  prominent  of  old-time  tan- 
ners. He  produced  oak  sole,  but  about  i860  tanned 
union  leather.  He  learned  tanning  of  his  father, 
and  went  in  partnership  with  him  in  1835.  In  1851 
he  settled  in  Tannersville,  Pa.  He  owned  tanner- 
ies in  Stroudsburg  and  Great  Bend.  In  1875  he  es- 
tablished a  store  in  New  York  and  lived  in  Brook- 
lyn. He  died  in  March,  1880.  His  son,  Charles  E. 
Kistler,  and  son-in-law,  J.  H.  Lesh,  were  of  the 
firm  of  Kistler,  Lesh  &  Co.  Charles  E.  Kistler 
died  one  week  after  his  father.  He  was  at  that 
time  of  the  firm  of  Kistler,  Hall  &  Co.,  of  New 
York.     Milo  Kistler,  another  son,  was  a  partner. 


STEPHEN   KISTLER.  93 

Stephen  Kistler's  father  and  father-in-law,  four 
brothers  and  five  sons,  his  first  wife's  two  brothers 
and  second  wife's  father,  were  tanners. 

THE  CLARENDON  FAMILY. 

Thomas  Clarendon  was  a  man  who  made  his 
mark  in  the  trade.  He  was  born  in  Ireland,  In  1847 
he  went  into  the  store  of  Lapham  &  Bulkley  to  do 
the  heavy  work  expected  from  a  lusty  young  man 
of  that  day.  He  was  with  Mr.  Lapham  and  his 
various  partners  until  1858.  In  1852  the  house  was 
Lapham  &  Clarendon.  In  1858  a  partnership  was 
arranged  with  Theodore  M.  Barnes  and  Oliver  K. 
Lapham  and  the  firm  of  Barnes,  Clarendon  &  Lap- 
ham was  formed.  When  the  Civil  War  broke  out 
this  firm  was  dealing  largely  in  hides.  Mr.  Claren- 
don went  to  Washington  and  to  the  headquarters 
of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  and  secured  a  great 
portion  of  the  hides  flayed  from  cattle  killed  for 
meat  for  the  soldiers.  The  firm  were  tanners  also. 
They  made  a  great  deal  of  money.  Later  Mr. 
Clarendon  formed  the  firm  of  Thos.  Clarendon  & 
Co.  with  his  younger  brother,  Matthew  E.  Claren- 
don as  partner.  Thomas  Clarendon  went  to  Nice, 
Italy,  for  his  health  and  died  there  January  6th, 
1872.  He  was  a  sagacious,  truthful  man,  with 
great  business  ability.  Anson  E.  Lapham,  his  life- 
long friend,  said  of  him :  "I  can  bear  testimony  to 
his  faithfulness  to  all  trusts ;  to  his  energy,  industry 
and  honesty,  and  as  being  a  faithful,  unswerving 
friend."    M.  E.  Clarendon  &  Son  succeeded  to  the 


94  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP. 

business  of  Thos.  Clarendon  &  Co.  James  P.  Clar- 
endon was  then  associated  with  his  father.  Both 
are-  respeted  merchants.  This  is  one  of  the  oldest 
hide  firms  in  the  Swamp. 

There  were  five  brothers  Clarendon  in  the  shoe 
and  leather  trade.  William,  the  oldest,  came  here 
in  1843.  Thomas  crossed  the  ocean  alone  in  1847. 
George  was  originally  with  William  Sherwood.  He 
died  in  1865.  Matthew  E.  and  Charles  Clarendon 
were  at  first  with  Froth ingham,  Newell  &  Co., 
wholesale  shoes  and  leather.  Charles  Clarendon 
was  in  the  retail  shoe  business  from  1859  to  1885. 
All  these  brothers  were  at  different  times  with  the 
old  wholesale  shoe  and  leather  firm  of  Frothing- 
ham,  Newell  &  Co. 

BULLARD    &    CO. 

In  1828  William  Bullard  came  from  Massachu- 
setts and  engaged  as  a  clerk  with  Austin  Melvin. 
His  brothers,  Isaac  and  John  Bullard,  came  later 
and  formed  the  firm  of  Bullard  &  Mattison,  which 
lasted  from  about  1832  to  1843.  Isaac  died  in  1836. 
Jacob  Lorillard  in  1834  put  in  special  capital  for 
William  and  John  Bullard  and  Jacob  VanWagenan 
and  they  engaged  in  trade  as  Bullard  &  Mattison, 
afterwards  Wm.  Bullard  &  Co.  This  continued  to 
1843,  when  John  and  William  Bullard  and  Jacob 
Van  Wagenan  made  up  the  firm  of  Bullard  &  Co. 
John  Bullard  died  in  1881.  Mr.  Van  Wagenan  re- 
tired in  1865  and  Redmond  Keresy  became  a  part- 
ner. The  firm  had  several  hemlock  sole  leather  tan- 
neries which  were  merged  in  the  United  States 
Leather  Company  in  1893. 


BULLARD   &  CO.  95 

In  1856  William  Bullard  went  to  Dedham,  Mass. 
He  served  in  the  Massachusetts  Legislature  three 
terms.  He  built  and  owned  the  store  14  Ferry 
street.  William  Bullard  died  September  28th, 
1879.  His  son,  Louis  H.  Bullard,  owns  the  store 
now.  He  was  a  partner  and  the  head  of  the  firm 
after  1880. 

Redmond  Keresy  was  in  the  Swamp,  living  at 
87  and  at  ^2  Gold  street  up  to  the  time  he  was 
seven  years  old.  His  father  was  the  Swamp  team- 
ster. When  he  was  fourteen  years  Redmond  Ken- 
sy  went  in  the  store  of  Bullard  &  Co.  He  became 
a  partner,  but  retired  from  active  business  January 
i8th,  1883.  His  son,  Redmond  Keresy,  Jr.,  is  with 
the  United  States  Leather  Company. 

William  H.  Humphrey  was  a  nephew  of  William 
Bullard.  He  went  with  Bullard  &  Co.  in  1864  and 
became  a  partner  in  1880.  When  this  firm  discon- 
tinued they  had  been  in  the  leather  business  fifty 
years.  Mr.  Humphrey  is  assistant  treasurer  and 
assistant  secretary  and  director  in  the  United 
States  Leather  Company. 

DAVID    MOFFAT. 

Came  to  New  York  from  Scotland  in  1827.  He 
was  a  currier  and  his  family  had  been  tanners  for  a 
hundred  years.  In  the  year  1834,  having  acquired 
and  saved  a  capital  of  less  than  $500  as  a  journey- 
man currier,  he  undertook  currying  on  his  own  ac- 
count, and  soon  made  a  specialty  of  harness  lea- 
ther.   The  thoroughness  and  excellence  of  his  work 


96  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP. 

quickly  made  for  him  a  reputation  in  the  Swamp, 
and  built  up  the  business  which  still  flourishes 
under  the  firm  name  of  David  Moffat  &  Co.  The 
stable  character  of  the  business  may  be  inferred 
from  permanence  of  connection  of  the  employees 
with  the  firm,  a  number  of  the  men  having  served 
during  periods  ranging  from  fifteen  to  twenty-five 
years.  He  bought  the  premises  5,  7  and  9  and  later 
No.  10  Jacob  street  for  his  business.  Of  profound 
religious  convictions  and  great  consistency  of  con- 
duct, his  character  commanded  respect  amounting 
to  veneration.  He  was  constantly  engaged  in  doing 
good,  both  by  an  almost  lavish  use  of  his  means 
and  by  personal  effort.  Although  he  modestly 
shrank  from  publicity,  he  wielded  an  extensive  per- 
sonal influence.  Mr.  Moff^at  was  for  some  years  an 
elder  in  the  Reformed  Church  on  the  Heights,  in 
Brooklyn.  He  lived  at  Cold  Springs  on  the  Hud- 
son in  the  summer  and  built  and  endowed  a  chapel 
there.    David  Moffat  died  July  24th,  1887. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  leather  trade,  held  after  his 
decease,  Aaron  Healy,  on  taking  the  chair,  said : 

"A  good  man  has  gone  to  his  reward.  David 
Moffat  was  faithful  in  every  relation  of  life.  As  a 
husband,  father  and  friend,  affectionate  and  kind; 
as  a  business  man,  honest,  reliable  and  doing  to 
others  as  he  would  they  should  to  him.  and  more. 
I  have  been  intimately  acquainted  with  him  for 
about  forty-five  years,  and  a  more  conscientious 
and  upright  man  never  existed.  He  carried  this 
principle  into  all  his  business,  taking  care  that  all 


DAVID    M  OFF  ATT.  97 

who  did  business  with  him  should  have  their  just 
rights,  as  he  would  want  if  he  was  in  their  place. 
Hence  his  customers  could  trust  him  implicitly, 
and  this  conscientious  honesty  was  an  element  of 
his  remarkable  success  in  his  calling." 

David  Moffat,  Jr.,  died  March  30th,  1887,  a  few 
months  before  his  father.  He  left  college  in  1871, 
went  into  his  father's  store  and  became  a  partner 
in  1875.  He  was  connected  with  the  Twenty-third 
Regiment  and  was  captain  of  Company  E.  He  did 
much  to  build  up  the  company.  He  was  a  deacon 
and  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  School  of  the 
Reformed  Church  on  the  Heights  in  Brooklyn.  He 
died  at  the  early  age  of  33  years. 

William  L.  Moffat  and  Fraser  M.  Moffat,  only 
surviving  sons  of  David  Moffat,  now  comprise  the 
firm.  They  were  brought  up  in  the  trade.  They 
are  progressive  young  men  and  have  considerably 
enlarged  the  business  during  the  past  ten  years. 
They  own  a  tannery  at  Iron  Gate,  Va.,  also  a  cur- 
rying shop  for  finishing  light  leather  at  Elizabeth, 
N.  J.  Wm.  L.  Moffatt  is  a  director  in  the  Hide 
and  Leather  Bank  and  a  trustee  of  the  Dime  Sav- 
ings Bank  of  Brooklyn. 

CHARLES    B,  FOSDICK- 

Was  born  in  the  City  of  New  York  and  began  as  a 
hide  dealer  in  1848.  In  1856  he  came  into  Spruce 
street.  He  dealt  mainly  in  deer  skins.  Mr.  Fos- 
dick  was  elected  in  1879  the  first  president  of  the 
Hide  and  Leather  Bank.    In  1894  he  resigned  and 


98  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP. 

accepted  the  same  office  in  the  Second  National 
Bank.  He  was  an  honorable,  upright  man.  Mr. 
Fosdick  died  in  1896.  His  only  son  and  partner 
passed  away  before  his  father. 

JOSEPH    B-  HOYT, 

The  oldest  of  a  great  family  of  tanners,  was  born 
in   Stamford,    Conn.,    November,    1813,   and   died 
there  December  27th,  1889.     He  learned  the  tan- 
ning trade  and  worked  at  it  in  Newark  and  other 
cities.     In  1841  he  went  to  New  York.     William 
Kumbel  was  making  belt  or  band  leather.     His 
foreman,  Frederic  Wood,  left  him  and  started  in 
business  for  himself  in  Frankfort  street.     He  died 
soon  after,  and  Joseph  B.  Hoyt  and  Hans  Rees 
bought  out  the  business  from  Wm.  P.  Miller,  the 
executor.     The   firm   of  Rees   &   Hoyt  dissolved 
about  1854.     Then  Joseph  B.,  William  and  Oliver 
Hoyt  made  up  the  firm  of  Hoyt  Brothers  at  28 
Spruce  street.     Later  Harvey  S.  Ladew  and  Daniel 
B.  Fayerweather   became   partners.     In    1870   the 
firm  divided    and    Joseph    B.    Hoyt,   with   Messrs. 
Fayerweather  and  Ladew,  formed  the  firm  of  J.  B. 
Hoyt  &  Co.    They  were  the  first  in  this  country  to 
make  "scoured  oak  backs,"  and  they  also  made 
"Hoyt's   short   lap   belting-."      In    1884   Joseph   B. 
Hoyt  retired  from  business  and  the  house  became 
Fayerweather  &  Ladew.    Mr.  Hoyt  introduced  the 
Crockett  Tan   Burning   Furnace   among  our  tan- 
ners.    He  was  the  inventor  of  a  device  for  smoke 
consuming  chimneys.     He  was  a  sagacious  mer- 


:'  .  JOSEPH    B.  HOYT.  gg 

chant  and  a  most  exemplary  man.  Mr.  Hoyt  served 
two  terms  in  the  Connecticut  Legislature.  His 
son,  of  the  same  name,  in  connection  with  Nor- 
man Schultz,  built  a  tannery  at  Instanter,  Pa,  The 
firm  was  Schultz  &  Hoyt.  They  tanned  union 
leather,  but  merged  in  the  United  States  Leather 
Company  in  1893. 

OLIVER    HOYT 

Was  born  on  "Hoyt's  Hill"  in  Stamford,  Conn.,  a 
farm  which  his  father  owned  and  where  his  mil- 
lionaire sons  afterwards  built  palatial  residences. 
He  was  a  tanner  and  came  to  New  York  in  1844. 
\\'ith  his  brother,  William,  he  formed  the  firm  of 
W.  &  O.  Hoyt  in  Jacob  and  afterwards  in  Ferry 
street.  They  finished  seal  skins  and  upper  leather. 
Joseph  B.  Hoyt  joined  them  in  1854  and  the  busi- 
ness grew  and  prospered.  In  1870  Mark  Hoyt  be- 
came a  partner.  The  firm  was  known  as  Hoyt 
Brothers.  They  owned  large  hemlock  tanneries, 
which  were  merged  in  the  United  States  Leather 
Company  in  1893.  Oliver  Hoyt  was  a  very  bene- 
volent man  and  highly  esteemed.  His  benefactions 
amounted  to  $25,000  a  year  for  the  last  twenty-five 
years  of  his  life.  He  was  chairman  of  the  Board 
of  Trustees  of  the  Wesleyan  College  at  Middle- 
town,  Conn.,  and  gave  large  sums  to  that  univer- 
sity. He  was  a  State  Senator  in  1876  and  1878  and 
a  Presidential  Elector  in  1872,  voting  for  General 
U.  S.  Grant.  He  was  ofifered  the  nomination  for 
Governor  of  his  native  State  in  1879,  but  declined 


loo  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP. 

it.  He  was  vice-president  of  the  Park  Bank  and 
director  in  the  Home  and  Phoenix  Insurance  Com- 
panies.    He  died  May  Sth,  1887. 

Oliver  Hoyt  left  four  sons,  who  remain  in  the 
business.  Edward  C.  Hoyt  is  a  member  of  the 
Executive  Committee  and  vice-president  of  the 
United  States  Leather  Company.  Theodore  R. 
Hoyt  is  a  director  of  the  United  States  Leather 
Company.  Walter  S.  Hoyt  and  George  S.  Hoyt 
are  connected  with  the  company.  Edward  C.  Hoyt 
is  also  a  director  in  the  National  Park  Bank  of 
New  York. 

MARK     HOYT, 

President  of  the  United  States  Leather  Company, 
died  at  his  residence  in  New  York  December  30th, 
1896.  He  was  the  youngest  of  the  great  tanning 
family.  He  came  to  New  York  from  Stamford, 
Conn.,  was  first  a  hide  broker  and  joined  his 
brothers  in  the  leather  business.  When  the  Civil 
War  broke  out  he  raised  the  Seventeenth  (Iron- 
sides) Regiment  from  among  men  in  the  leather 
and  hide  trades.  He  was  commissioned  as  colonel. 
The  regiment  drilled  in  the  lofts  of  Hoyt  Bros.' 
store  in  Spruce  street.  They  went  in  camp  at  Ja- 
maica, L.  I.,  but  their  leader  was  smitten  with  fever 
and  could  not  go  to  the  front  with  them.  He  joined 
his  regiment  later  and  served  through  the  strife. 
Then  he  bought  a  sugar  plantation  and  worked  it 
until  1868.  He  returned  to  New  York  and  went 
into  the  hide  brokerage  business  for  a  time.     In 


HON.    OLIVER    HOYT. 


MARK  HOYT.  .     .        loi 

March,  1870,  he  joined  the  firm  of  Hoyt  Brothers. 
WilHam,  Ohver  and  Mark  Hoyt  made  a  very 
strong  combination.  They  stood  always  in  the  front 
rank  of  the  trade  and  owned  many  hemlock  tan- 
neries. Mark  Hoyt  was  one  of  the  originators  of 
the  United  States  Leather  Company.  He  was  its 
first  vice-president  and  v>'hen  Thomas  E.  Proctor 
died,  December  7th,  1894,  he  succeeded  him  as 
president  and  held  the  office  at  the  time  of  his 
death.  His  only  son,  Mark  Hoyt,  Jr.,  was  in  the 
company's  office,  but  passed  away  before  his  father, 
on  the  24th  of  October,  1895. 

DANIEL    B.  FAYERWEATHER, 

One  of  the  best  known  men  in  the  New  York 
leather  trade,  died  in  that  city  November,  1890. 
He  was  a  shoemaker  in  Connecticut  in  early  life,, 
but  came  to  New  York  in  1854  and  engaged  as  a 
clerk  with  Hoyt  Brothers.  He  became  a  partner 
the  following  year.  He  was  always  noted  for  his 
close  attention  to  business.  He  used  to  say  that 
when  he  could  not  get  to  the  store  at  half  past  seven 
in  the  morning  he  wanted  to  die.  After  the  disso- 
lution of  Hoyt  Brothers  in  1870,  Mr.  Fayerweather, 
as  the  active  partner  in  J.  B.  Hoyt  &  Co.,  became 
more  of  a  power  in  the  trade  than  ever  before.  The 
firm  made  leather  belting.  About  1884  Joseph  B. 
Hoyt  retired,  worth  nearly  or  quite  $3,000,000.  The 
firm  then  became  Fayerweather  &  Ladew.  They 
built  several  tanneries  and  did  the  largest  business 


102  HISTORY    OF   THE    SWAMP. 

of  any  oak  tanners  in  the  trade.  Mr.  Fayerweather 
was  one  of  the  most  honorable  of  men.  He  left  by 
his  will  nearly  all  his  great  fortune  of  about  $6,000,- 
000  to  different  colleges.  This  was  the  largest  sum 
that  had  been  given  to  education  in  this  country  by 
a  single  individual.  The  litigation  over  his  will  be- 
came a  cause  celebre,  but  the  provisions  of  the  will 
were  substantially  sustained  by  the  courts. 

THE    LADEWS    AS    TANNERS  AND   BELT  MAKERS. 

Harvey  S.  Ladew  was  born  in  Shokan,  Ulster 
County,  N.  Y.,  in  January,  1826.  His  father  was  a 
tanner,  and  he  was  brought  up  to  the  same  busi- 
ness. He  had  three  brothers,  William,  Oliver  S. 
and  A.  D.  Ladew,  who  were  reared  to  the  paternal 
calling.  All  became  succcessful  tanners.  H.  S. 
Ladew  took  charge  of  the  Shokan  tannery  for  Rees 
&  Hoyt,  of  New  York,  before  he  was  twenty-one 
years  of  age.  When  he  reached  his  majority  he 
became  a  partner.  The  firm  was  changed  to  Hoyt 
Brothers  in  1855,  Mr.  Ladew  continuing  in  it. 
About  1868  they  purchased  the  Flintstone  tannery, 
near  Cumberland,  Md.,  and  Mr.  Ladew  moved 
there.  In  the  following  year  they  bought  the  Cum- 
berland tannery  at  auction,  and  he  became  superin- 
tendent of  both  yards.  In  1870  the  firm  of  J.  B. 
Hoyt  &  Co.,  with  Joseph  B.  Hoyt,  Daniel  S.  Fayer- 
weather and  H.  S.  Ladew  as  partners,  was  formed, 
and  Mr.  Ladew  removed  to  New  York.  On  Janu- 
ary 31st,  1884,  the  firm  became  Fayerweather  & 


tHE   tADEWS.  103 

Ladew.  j\Ir.  Ladew  had  charge  of  the  numerous 
tanneries  of  the  firm  and  used  to  visit  them  regu- 
larly in  rotation  every  few  weeks.  He  was  of  a  quiet, 
retired  disposition,  a  devoted  husband  and  father, 
kind  and  generous  as  an  employer,  and  highly 
respected  by  the  business  community  in  which  his 
life  had  been  passed.  E.  R.  and  J.  H,  Ladew,  his  two 
sons,  hold  positions  in  his  firm.  His  widow  is  the 
survivor  of  three  sisters,  w^ho  married,  respectively, 
Hans  Rees,  Joseph  B.  Hoyt  and  H,  S.  Ladew.  H. 
S.  Ladew  died  ]\Iarch  9th,  i< 


A  GREAT  BELTING  HOUSE- 

Fayerweather  &  Ladew  are  the  oldest  manufac- 
turers of  oak  tanned  leather  belting  in  this  country. 
Joseph  B.  Hoyt  founded  the  house  in  1846.  In 
1847  Harvey  S.  Ladew,  a  brother-in-law  of  Mr. 
Hoyt,  was  admitted.  The  firm  was  J.  B.  Hoyt  & 
Co.  from  1870  to  1884,  when  Mr.  Hoyt  retired  and 
the  house  of  Fayerweather  &  Ladew  was  formed. 
Mr.  Ladew  died  in  March,  1888,  Mr.  Fayerweather 
in  November,  1890. 

At  the  time  of  the  deaths  of  these  men  their  firm 
was  far  in  advance  of  all  other  leather  houses  in  the 
extent  of  their  wealth  and  the  magnitude  of  their 
business.  Edward  R.  Ladew  and  Joseph  H.  Ladew 
were  partners  in  the  house.  Edward  R.  Ladew  had 
been  a  member  of  the  firm  of  J.  B.  Hoyt  &  Co.,  as 
well  as  the  later  firm.  Both  were  sons  of  Harvey 
S.  Ladew.  They  succeeded  to  the  business  of  the 
firm  but  made  no  change  in  the  style. 


164  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAM?. 

Edward  R.  Ladcw  sii])crinten(lcd  tlie  tanneries 
and  visited  them  regularly  for  several  years,  both 
in  company  with  his  father  and  after  his  demise. 
Joseph  H.  Ladew  was  connected  with  the  business 
department.  The  two  brothers  exercise  a  constant 
supervision  over  the  belting  works. 

The  belting  factory  of  Fayerweather  &  Ladev*' 
covers  ten  city  lots,  Nos.  236  to  246  Eldridge  street, 
is  150  feet  deep  and  six  stories  high.  The  exten- 
sion or  wing  on  East  Houston  street  is  159  x  168, 
eight  stories.  Here  the  rough  butts  are  received. 
They  are  wet  in  large  tanks  of  fresh  water  and  piled 
up  ready  for  the  butt  cutter  who  trims  them  closely 
for  belts. 

The  offal  taken  off  is  divided  into  shoulders,  bel- 
lies and  about  fourteen  other  varieties.  So  close  is 
the  trim  for  the  short  lap  belting  that  something 
like  two-thirds  of  the  leather  is  cut  off  and  sold  for 
offal.  It  is  prime  oak  tanned  stock,  and  is  used  for 
many  purposes  in  shoe  factories.  Their  trim  is 
much  closer  than  that  ordinarily  made.  Only  the 
best  parts  of  the  very  best  hides  are  used  in  the 
belts  they  produce.  The  butts  are  tumbled  into 
wheels  to  cleanse  them,  shaved  and  scoured  clean. 
There  are  four  Fitzhenry  machines  in  this  depart- 
ment, also  winding  and  fastening  machines  and  oil 
tanks. 

The  butts  are  piled  to  dry  out.  After  the  cellar 
work  is  completed  they  are  sent  to  the  top  of  the 
building,  where  they  are  hand  and  wheel  stuffed 
and  prepared  for  the  manfacturing  department  by 


A   GREAT   BELTING  HOUSE.  105 

trimming  and  stretching'.  The  three  upper  floors 
are  used  for  these  manipulations.  The  firm  keep 
on  hand  a  great  assortment  of  centres  up  to  48 
inches  wide,  so  as  to  be  able  to  make  and  deliver 
an}'  belt  at  twenty-four  hours'  notice.  The  leather 
gains  in  strength  and  firmness  as  it  remains  in  the 
piles. 

On  the  belt  floor  the  leather  is  cut  in  sizes,  lapped 
and  feathered.  There  are  forty  presses  on  the  floor 
below  to  cement  the  edges  and  form  the  belt. 

On  the  second  floor  the  belts  are  riveted,  pegged 
or  stitched,  which  operations  are  all  performed  by 
machinery.  The  engine  is  sixty  horse-power.  This 
is  ample,  as  much  of  the  work  is  done  by  hand  and 
is  more  reliable.  The  Flintstone  leather  is  cut  and 
the  capacity  of  this  factory  is  for  5,000  butts 
weekly. 

The  firm  make  Hoyt's  oak  tanned  short  lap 
leather  belting.  This  brand  has  stood  at  the  head 
of  the  belt  production  for  fifty  years,  and  with  re- 
cent improvements  is  better  than  ever  before.  One 
point  of  excellence  is  that  the  firm  have  always 
tanned  their  own  leather  at  tanneries  in  the  bark 
regions  of  the  Middle  States,  where  oak  grows  with 
the  best  bark  for  tanning  purposes.  Their  hides 
are  also  selected  from  the  best  city  and  packer  kill. 

Edward  R.  Ladew  was  a  vice-president  of  the 
United  States  Leather  Company  and  active  in  its 
affairs.  Joseph  H.  Ladew  is  a  director  of  the  great 
organization.  They  sold  their  sole  leather  business 
to  this  company  and  devote  most  of  their  time  to 


to6  HISTORY    OF   THE  SWAMP.  "    '    ' 

the  belt  manufacture.  They  have  stores  in  Boston, 
Chicago  and  Cincinnati,  and  sales  agents  in  all  the 
principal  cities  in  the  United  States.  Their  product 
is  sold  and  shipped  to  all  parts  of  the  world. 

On  the  1st  of  August,  1898,  this  firm  was  organ- 
ized as  Fayerweather  &  Ladew,  incorporated.  The 
capital,  $1,250,000,  all  paid  in. 

The  business  will  be  conducted  along  the  same 
lines  as  heretofore,  the  manufacture  of  Hoyt's  pure 
oak  tanned  short  lap  leather  belting  being  the  great 
feature.  This  the  company  make  in  all  widths, 
from  half  an  inch  to  seven  feet. 

ORIGIN  OF  SCOURED   OAK  BACKS. 

The  credit  of  introducing  this  leather  belongs  to 
Fayerweather  &  Ladew.  During  the  war  some 
English  bends  were  imported — solid  thick  leather; 
they  sold  for  about  75  cents  a  pound.  Fayer- 
weather &  Ladew  bought  five  of  these  bends  and 
scoured  six  pounds  of  divi  divi,  myrabolams,  etc., 
out  of  each  one,  by  using  the  Fitzhenry  machines. 
This  spoiled  the  sale  in  this  country,  for  shoe  manu- 
facturers could  not  afiford  to  pay  for  weighted 
leather,  but  the  operation  imparted  softness  and 
line  color,  and  Fayerweather  &  Ladew  tried  scour- 
ing tlieir  own  sole  leather.  There  was  very  little 
to  scour  out  from  pure  oak  tanned  leather,  but  it 
came  out  from  under  the  machine  looking  fine  and 
feeling  soft.  A  prominent  manufacturer  of  men's 
shoes  tried  it  and  kept  account  of  the  cost  of  his 


ORIGIN   OF   SCOURED   OAK  BARK.         107 

soles.  After  awhile  he  thought  he  could  do  better 
cutting  his  soles  from  side  leather.  He  tried  Balti- 
more, Cincinnatti  and  Louisville  oak  tannages,  but 
the  results  were  not  as  he  anticipated,  and  he  re- 
turned to  scoured  oak  backs.  Other  manufacturers 
encountered  similar  experiences  and  scoured  or 
dressed  backs  came  into  use  and  have  continued 
popular  ever  since. 

HANS  REES 

Was  a  prominent  and  very  successful  leather  mer- 
chant. He  came  to  New  York  from  Norway  in 
1835.  In  1846  he  became  a  partner  with  Joseph 
B.  Hoyt  in  the  leather  belting  business.  The  firm 
was  Rees  &  Hoyt.  In  1855  Mr.  Rees  retired  and 
went  to  Milwaukee  for  his  health.  He  bought  land 
and  built  "Rees'  Block"  on  West  Water  street  and 
added  greatly  to  his  possessions.  He  came  East 
again  in  1861  and  formed  a  partnership  with  Har- 
vey Hoyt,  a  brother  of  his  former  partner,  and  re- 
newed the  firm  name  of  Rees  &  Hoyt.  This  con- 
tinued tw-o  years,  when  the  firm  dissolved  and  Mr. 
Rees  traded  for  some  time  alone.  Meantime  he 
had  sons  growing  up  and  Norman  I.  Rees  became 
a  partner  in  1868,  the  firm  being  Hans  Rees  &  Son. 
The  senior  retired  in  1874  and  the  firm  became 
Hans  Rees'  Sons.  Norman  I.  Rees,  Arthur  F. 
Rees  and  Frank  Rees  were  interested.  Frank  Rees 
retired  and  lives  at  Chattanooga,  Tenn.  Another 
son,  J.  K.  Rees,  is  a  professor  in  Columbia  Col- 
lege.    Hans  Rees  died  July  2d,  1885.  aged  70  years. 


io8  HISTORY    OF    THE   SWAMP. 

Hans  Rees'  Sons  own  three  oak  sole  leather  tan- 
neries. One  recently  finished  at  Asheville,  N.  C. 
is  one  of  the  largest  in  the  South.  Arthur  F.  Rees 
is  in  charge  there.  Norman  I.  Rees  attends  to  the 
business  in  New  York.  They  have  a  factory  in  the 
city  where  they  curry  and  finish  leather  for  belt 
manufacturing. 

After  Hans  Rees  settled  up  his  business  he  spent 
a  long  time  in  travel.  He  re-visited  Norway  and 
the  North  Cape.  He  attended  the  French  Expo- 
sition in  1878.  He  felt  an  interest  in  the  success  of 
American  leather  and  showed  it  in  a  practical  man- 
ner. When  the  judges  came  into  the  American 
leather  section  Mr.  Rees  took  off  his  coat,  spread 
the  leather  out  for  them  and  answered  questions  as 
only  a  tanner  could.  The  judges  knew  nothing  of 
bark  tannages  and  he  informed  them  thoroughly 
of  its  merits.  Our  belting  was  in  competition  with 
the  "mixed  tannages"  of  Europe.  Mr.  Rees  ex- 
plained the  difference  in  them  and  much  to  the  ad- 
vantage of  our  bark  tanned  leather  belting.  The 
belting  manufacturers  of  America  who  gained 
medals  in  Paris  in  1878  owe  much  of  their  success 
to  Hans  Rees. 

LEATHER   INSPECTION- 

The  inspection  of  leather  was  prescribed  by  the 
Legislature  of  New  York  in  1784.  Peter  McCar- 
tee  was  an  inspector.  John  H.  Bowie,  Nicholas 
W.  Anthony  and  George  Ferguson  held  the  oflfice. 
They  were  tanners  and  lived  in  the  swamp.     The 


LEATHER     INSPECTION.  109 

law  was  in  foce  up  to  about  1876,  and  there  are, 
even  yet,  persons  who  are  employed  to  inspect 
leather.  After  1826,  two  men  were  required  to  be 
employed.  This  force  was  afterwards  increased  to 
six.  They  received  four  cents  per  side,  and  later 
two  cents  and  one  and  one-half  cents  for  the  work. 
From  1820  to  1830  three  teamsters  were  sufifi- 
cient  to  do  all  the  carting  of  leather  in  the  swamp. 
There  were,  at  that  time,  only  two  stores  that  em- 
ployed porters  or  laborers.  It  was  usual  for  clerks 
to  do  the  menial  work. 

JAMES  AND  GEORGE  BROOKS. 

The  name  of  Brooks  was  a  noted  one  in  the 
leather  trade  for  many  years.  Henry  Brooks,  a 
tanner  and  currier,  came  here  from  England  in 
1784.  He  had  to  disguise  himself  as  a  sailor,  be- 
cause skilled  workmen  were  then  debarred  from 
emigrating.  In  1790  he  built  a  tannery  where  the 
shot  tower  of  the  Caldwell  Lead  Co.  stands,  on 
Centre,  near  Pearl  street.  He  erected  a  fine  house 
at  the  corner  of  Pearl  and  Centre  streets  and  lived 
there  many  years.  His  firm  was  Stockholm, 
Brooks  &  Livingstone.  It  was  in  being  but  for  a 
few  years,  and  on  the  dissolution  of  the  partner- 
ship, Mr.  Brooks  succeeded  to  the  business.  Some 
twelve  hundred  slaughter  hides,  and  between  three 
and  four  thousand  calfskins,  were  annually  tanned 
in  this  establishment,  oak  being  used  exclusively, 
as  was  the  custom  at  that  day,  and  the  sole  leather 
hides  were  about  a  year  in  the  process  of  manu- 


no  HISTORY    OF    THE   SWAMP. 

facture  into  leather.  The  buying  and  selhng  of 
hides  also  constituted  a  large  portion  of  the  busi- 
ness transacted,  and  Mr.  Brooks  had  a  leather 
store  on  Coenties  slip,  and  also  at  72  Partition, 
now  Fulton  street. 

Henry  Brooks  had  five  sons,  James,  Thomas, 
George,  William  and  Henry  Brooks,  Jr.,  all  tan- 
ners. When  he  retired,  in  1816,  James  and  George 
Brooks  took  the  business.  This  firm  soon  after- 
Vv^ard  built  a  very  substantial,  and,  for  that  period, 
a  large  warehouse,  in  Greenwich  street,  near  the 
corner  of  Fulton  street,  where  they  did  business  for 
several  years.  There  were,  at  that  time  leather 
stores  in  Vesey  and  Greenwich  streets,  but  the 
business  was  gradually  tending  toward  the  Swamp, 
and  in  1836,  Jacob  Lorillard  having  finished  his 
fine  block  of  stores  on  Gold  street,  at  the  head  of 
Ferry  street,  the  firm  hired  and  moved  into  No.  87. 
At  this  time  Mr.  William  Brooks,  a  younger 
brother,  was  admitted  to  the  firm,  and  remained  a 
member  until  1844,  the  firm  name  for  that  period 
being  James  «&  George  Brooks  &  Co.  Here  they 
remained  until  1840,  when  they  bought  the  prem- 
ises on  the  northwest  corner  of  Jacob  and  Ferry 
streets,  where  they  continued  in  business  until  1854, 
when  the  firm  of  James  &  George  Brooks  was  dis- 
solved, and  the  junior  partner  retired.  The  senior 
partner,  however,  continued  the  business  at  No.  20 
Ferry  street,  and  afterward  in  Spruce  street,  until 
1 861. 

Thus    for  nearlv  half  a  cenutrv,  was  Mr.  James 


JAMES  AND  GEORGE  BROOKS.      m 

Brooks  actively  engaged  in  the  hide  and  leather 
business  in  New  York.  The  transactions  in  which 
the  firm  were  engaged  were  at  times  of  great  mag- 
nitude, and  the  vicissitudes  of  trade  through  which 
they  passed  were,  sometimes,  of  great  severity,  but 
they  never  failed  to  fulfill  all  their  obligations,  and, 
as  they  always  abstained  from  speculation,  and  ad- 
hered strictly  to  their  legitimate  business,  they 
came  to  be  well  known  as  among  the  most  "safe" 
•men  for  any  transaction  m  their  line  in  the  New 
York  Swamp.  Contemporaries  as  they  were  with 
Gideon  Lee,  and  most  of  the  other  older  members 
of  the  trade,  they  competed  successfully  with  them 
For  a  large  share  K>i  tlie  business  which  was  done 
during  the  period  of  the  existence  of  the  firm,  and 
were  often,  with  them,  participators  in  large  trans- 
actions in  hides,  before  the  brokerage  system  had 
hcQn  established,  or  while  it  was  yet  only  in  its 
infancy,  and  their  private  liberality,  together  with 
their  strict  integrity  in  all  their  dealings,  was  con- 
spicuous among  men  whose  memories  have  always 
been  remembered  with  pride. 

Mr.  Brooks  died  at  Plainfield,  N.  J.,  Aug.  6, 
1868. 

H.  J.  Brooks  &  Co.  succeeded  to  James  and 
George  Brooiks.  j-A.dchson  and  Alfred,  sons  ot 
George  Brooks,  with  Henry  J.  Brooks,  compose  J 
the  firm.  They  owned  the  Brookston  and  other 
tanneries,  but  went  out  of  business  several  years 
ago.  William  Brooks  was  a  hide  broker  for  sev- 
eral years.    His  son,  H.  Josiah  Brooks,  was  subse- 


112  HISTORY    OF    THE   SWAMP. 

quently  a  partner  with  James  B.  Dewson.    He  was 
a  very  honorable  man,  as  indeed  were  all  of  this  old 
family  of  tanners  who  did  business  in  New  York 
for  a  hundred  years. 
.      ;  '  THE    MATTISONS. 

The  Mattison  family  were  well  known  in  the 
leather  trade.  Alexander  Mattison,  a  currier,  came 
to  New  York  from  "Mattison's  Corners,"  New  Jer- 
sey, about  1825.  He  was  a  clerk,  and  had  an  in- 
terest with  Bullard  &  Co.,  and  member  of  the  firm 
of  Bullard  &  Mattison,  1836  to  1840.  Joseph  B. 
Mattison  went  to  New  York  from  Flemington,  N. 
J.,  in  1830,  and  became  a  clerk  for  Austin  Melvin, 
in  Ferry  street.  In  1843-44,  with  his  brother,  Alex- 
ander, he  formed  the  firm  of  A.  &  J.  Mattison. 
Alexander  Mattison  died  in  1852.  Charles  H. 
Isham  had  been  a  partner  as  Mattisons  &  Isham. 
Mr.  Isham  withdrew  in  1857  and  John  F.  McCoy 
took  his  place.  The  firm  of  ATattison  &  McCoy 
lasted  nineteen  years.  When  Joseph  B.  Mattison 
retired  with  an  abundant  fortune.  Mr.  Mattison 
died  Jan.  8,  1892.  Mahlon  Mattison  was  a  promi- 
nent leather  merchant.  Alexander  W.  Mattison 
was  a  clerk  for  some  of  these  Mattisons.  All  were 
his  cousins.  He  did  business  for  some  time  as  A. 
W.  Mattison  &  Co.,  and  is  now  with  the  United 
States  Leather  Co. 

John  Fox  McCoy  had  a  good  record  as  a  trader. 
He  came  from  Easton,  Pa.,  and  went  as  clerk  with 
Young  &  Schultz.  He  was  a  partner  from  1854  to 
1857.    Then  he  funded  the  firm  of  Mattison  &  Mc- 


THE  MATTISONS.  113 

Coy.  He  tanned  in  Carthage,  N.  Y.,  for  a  time  and 
in  1880  came  to  New  York  and  became  a  partner 
in  the  brokerage  business  of  Dewson,  Hull  &  Co. 
In  1887  he  sold  the  hides  of  the  Eastman  Company 
He  went  south  and  died  there  the  same  year, 

DAVID    BRYSON- 

Is  a  name  that  long  since  disappeared  from  the 
Swamp.  He  was  a  native  of  Ireland.  He  fought 
for  his  country  in  1798,  and  with  others  of  his  un- 
successful countrymen  fled  to  America  soon  after. 
On  arriving  in  Nev;  York,  Mr.  Bryson  commenced 
working  at  his  trade,  as  a  tanner  and  currier,  and 
after  a  short  period  undertook  business  at  48 
Frankfort  street.  He  manufactured  fine  calfskins 
for  boot  uppers,  and  his  skill  in  this  branch  was 
such  that  he  very  soon  laid  the  foundation  of  a 
large  fortune. 

Mr.  Bryson's  father,  and  brother,  were  con- 
cerned in  the  rising  of  1798,  and  a  price  was  set  on 
the  head  of  each  of  them.  The  brother  was  cap- 
>tured,  tried  and  sentenced  to  death,  but  this  was 
commuted  to  a  service  of  twenty  years  in  the  Brit- 
ish army.  David  Bryson  went  to  Antigua,  where 
the  regiment  was  stationed,  and  through  the  help 
of  a  slave  aided  his  brother  to  desert  and  brought 
him  to  America,  where  he  also  made  a  fortune  and 
died  at  Richmond,  Va. 

In  1810  Mr.  Bryson  bought  the  ground,  60  x  100 
feet,  on  Frankfort  opposite  Gold  street,  for  $6,000. 
Here  he  bujlt  a  handsome  two-story  house  and 


114  HISTORY    0/    THE   SWAMP. 

lived  there  with  his  tannery  next  door.  Both  stood 
there  until  the  bridge  was  built.  Mr.  Bryson 
founded  the  Phoenix  Bank  and  was  a  director 
there  about  forty  years.  He  died  in  1850.  His  son 
Peter  M.  Bryson.  was  afterwards  president  of  the 
Phoenix  Bank.  David  Bryson  was  a  very  courtly 
Irish  gentleman.  He  was  a  bitter  political  parti- 
san. There  arose  a  difference  between  him  and 
Gideon  Lee.  The  latter  called  at  Mr.  Bryson's 
house  for  a  conference,  Mr.  Bryson  met  him  at 
the  door  and  with  a  low  bow  and  wave  of  the  hand, 
said :  "I  decline  to  hold  any  conference  with  the 
Honorable  Gideon  Lee." 

ZADOCK  PRATT'S  EVE  NTFUL  CAREER. 

A  curious  bit  of  biography  was  the  Chronology 
of  Zadock  Pratt,  published  in  book  form  in  1867. 
Col.  Pratt  boarded  at  the  St.  Nicholas  Hotel  at  the 
time,  and  a  member  of  our  staff  wrote  it  from  his 
dictation.  To  him  the  Colonel  narrated  the  events 
of  his  life.  He  was  born  in  1790  and  learned  to  be 
a  tanner.  His  early  struggles  were  similar  to  those 
of  most  boys  of  his  time  who  strove  to  rise  in  the 
world.  He  settled  at  Prattsville,  on  the  Schoharie 
Creek  and  eventually  built  one  of  the  largest  tan- 
neries in  the  state  there.  He  also  built  up  the 
village  and  a  prosperous  town !  He  put  down  tan- 
neries at  Windham  and  Samsonville,  N.  Y.,  and 
Aldenville  and  Gouldboro,  Pa.  These  had  over 
2,000  vats  and  their  product  was  210,000  sides  of 
leather  yearly.    John  Watson  and  Jay  Gould  were 


ZADOCK  PRATT.  iiS 

his  partners  at  different  times. 

Zadock  Pratt  sold  his  leather  through  Gideon 
Lee  and  his  firms  and  through  Corse  &  Fratt,  Oi 
New  York.  He  kept  statistics  which  are  of  value. 
In  1827  he,  and  his  brother  tanners,  omitted  to 
skive,  thus  making  heavier  leather.  His  "gains" 
on  tanning  dry  hides  from  1825  to  1830  were  20 
per  cent.;  from  1830  to  1835,  37  7-10  per  cent.; 
from  1835  to  1840,  44  4-10  per  cent.;  and  1840  to 
'1850,  64  6-10  ;per  cent.  His  gains  on  Angostura 
hides,  after  tliat  were  79  67-100  per  cent.  He 
made  58  pounds  of  leather  from  100  pounds  cily 
slaughter  hides.  In  1850,  he  gave  his  son,  Geo. 
W.  Pratt,  and  daughter,  Julia  H.  Pratt,  $50,000  and 
one  half  of  a  tannery  each.  He  raised  and  equip- 
ped the  Prattsville  Guards  and  was  commissioned 
as  their  colonel.  He  closed  his  tanning  business  in 
1859. 

Col.  Pratt  served  two  terms  in  Congress,  1842 
to  1846.  He  first  moved  for  a  survey  of  the  Pacific 
Railway,  was  Chairman  of  the  Committee  to  build 
the  General  Post  Office,  proposed  the  first  mission 
to  Japan,  and  originated  the  bill  establishing  the 
Department  of  the  Interior.  In  1852  he  was  chosen 
Elector  for  the  Eleventh  Congressional  District  of 
New  York,  was  made  Chairman  of  the  Electoral 
College  and  with  his  colleagues  put  in  their  vote 
for  Franklin  Pierce  and  William  R.  King,  the  dem- 
ocratic nominees. 

Colonel  Pratt  founded  the  Prattsville  Bank  in 
1842,  with  $ioO;,ooo,  and  in  1852  had  dotibled  its 


ii6  HISTORY    OF    THE   SWAMP. 

assets.  He  had  curious  business  method.?,  lie 
would  loan  to  farmers  and  others,  he  had  never 
seen,  after  examining  their  features  and  looking  at 
their  hands  to  see  if  they  were  working  men.  P'e 
said  he  never  had  one  of  their  notes  left  unpaid. 
After  he  retired  from  business  he  visited  every  part 
of  the  world.  He  married  his  fourth  wife  when  he 
was  79  years  old.  She  had  been  previously  em- 
ployed in  the  office  of  the  "Shoe  and  Leather  Re- 
porter," where  she  had,  no  doubt  acquired  that 
amiability  and  flavor  of  the  Swamp  that  made  her 
attractive  to  the  old  tanner. 

Colonel  Pratt  was  a  man  of  imposing  appear- 
ance. He  stood  six  feet,  two  inches  in  height.  He 
had  four  iron  gray  horses  which  he  drove  across 
the  mountains  to  Albany  and  New  York.  He 
helped  many  a  teamster  out  the  the  mud  by  ''giv- 
ing him  a  lift"  with  his  horses.  He  was  a  charita- 
ble man  and  boasted  that  there  were  no  poor  fami- 
lies in  Prattsville.  Colonel  Pratt  died  in  May,  1871. 
PRATT'S  PICTURED  ROCKS- 
Colonel  Zadock  Pratt  gave  a  park  to  Prattsville 
in  1840.  On  a  large  rock  near  the  road  he  had  in- 
scriptions carved,  also  his  bust  with  "Bureau  of 
Statistics,  1844,"  ,'and  tanning  implements.  In  a 
square,  inclosed  in  a  wreath  were  the  names  of  his 
two  children,  George  W.  and  Julia  H.  Pratt,  and 
these  lines : 

''Let  virtue  be  your  greatest  care 

And  study  your  delight. 

So  will  your  days  be  ever  fair, 

And  peaceable  your  nights," 


PRATT'S  PICTURED  ROCKS.  117 

There  was  also  a  hemlock  tree  carved  in  bold  re- 
lief, together  with  his  favorite  horse  and  inscrip- 
tions and  statistics  relating  to  his  dairy  farm.  Sev- 
eral stone  seats  were  cut  in  the  rock.  In  1866  he 
added  a  niche  in  which  he  placed  a  colossal  bust  of 
his  son,  Colonel  George  W.  Pratt,  who  fell  upon 
the  battlefield.  He  was  represented  in  full  uniform, 
with  inscriptions  relating  his  military  career.  This 
piece  of  work  is  discernable  from  the  road,  at  least 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant.  Mrs.  Ingersoll,  Colonel 
Pratt's  daughter,  has  had  the  poetry  and  dairy  sta- 
tistics put  there  by  her  father  erased  from  the 
rocks.  Otherwise  the  sculpture  remains  Uitact,  and 
strangers  drive  for  miles  to  see  the  only  work  of 
the  kind  in  the  United  States. 

GEORGE  W-  PRATT. 

This  excellent  man,  who  was  a  merchant  and  a 
scholar,  was  the  son  of  Zadock  Pratt.  His  mother 
was  the  youngest  sister  of  Col.  John  Watson.  She 
was  also  the  mother  of  Col.  Pratt's  only  daughter, 
Julia  H.,  who  married  Hon.  Colin  M.  Ingersoll,  of 
New  Haven,  Conn.  George  W.  Pratt  was  edu- 
cated in  this  country,  but  was  awarded  the  degree 
of  Doctor  of  Philosophy  at  the  University  of  Mech- 
lenberg,  Germany,  for  his  universal  attainments  as 
a  linguist.  He  was  master  of  sixteen  languages. 
With  his  sister,  he  made  the  tour  of  Europe  and 
went  up  the  Nile.  This  trip  cost  their  father  $16,- 
000,  which  he  said  ''was  money  well  spent." 

In  1852  George  W.  Pratt  went  to  New  York  and 


ii8  HISTORY    OF    THE   SWAMP. 

became  a  partner  with  Israel  Corse.  The  firm  of 
Corse  &  Pratt  and  Corse,  Pratt  &  Co.,  did  a  pros- 
perous business  for  ten  years.  In  1855  Mr,  Pratt 
was  married  to  Miss  Tibbets,  of  Albany,  and  after- 
wards resided  in  that  city.  He  was  elected,  in  1857, 
State  Senator.  In  October,  1861,  he  raised  the 
20th  regiment  of  volunteers  (The  Ulster  Guard), 
and  marched  at  their  head  to  the  war.  His  neigh- 
bors in  the  Swamp  presented  to  him  a  sword,  war 
horse  and  accoutrements.  His  regiment,  at  that 
time,  paraded  in  the  Swamp,  where  they  were  ban- 
queted, and  received  an  ovation  deemed  fitting  for 
fighting  tanners,  for  such  they  were.  Half  ihe  men 
in  Zadock  Pratt's  tannery  enlisted,  and  each  re- 
ceived $5  and  a  guaranty  of  support  for  their  fam- 
ilies during  service,  from  the  patriotic  old  tanner. 
r)n  the  30th  day  of  August,  1862,  Colonel  George 
W.  Pratt  fell  bravely  fighting  at  the  head  of  his 
men  at  the  second  battle  of  Manasses.  He  was 
borne  from  the  lield,  carried  to  Albany,  and  died 
there  on  September  nth,  1862.  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
four  years. 

THE  LAPHAMS  AS  TANNERS, 

Anson  E.  L<apham,  the  founder  of  the  tanning 
branch  of  this  family,  was  a  brother-in-law  and  part- 
ner of  Jonathan  Thorne.  He  engaged  in  business 
with  him  in  1833,  and  later  formed  the  firm  of  Lap- 
ham  &  Bulklcy  and  afterwards  had  special  capital 
in  the  house  of  Lapham  &  Clarendon.  He  retired 
in  1861,  to  his  elegant  home  in  Skaneateales,  N.  Y.^ 


THE  LAPHAMS  AS  TANNERS.  119 

and  died  there  in  October,  1876.  Men  now  or  for- 
merly prominent  in  the  trade  were  relatives  of  this 
merchant.  He  was  an  uncle  to  Henry  G.  Lapham 
and  Oliver  K.  Lapham  and  grand  uncle  to  Arden 
B.  and  Walter  S.  Lapham,  of  Chicago  and  New 
York,  and  Edward  N.  Lapham,  the  Chicago  hide 
buyer  for  the  United  States  Leather  Co.,  and  of 
course,  of  John  J.  and  Louis  H.  Lapham.  The  ven- 
erable Miss  Susan  B.  Anthony  is  a  cousin  of  Anson 
E.  Lapham.  He  aided  her  financially  in  many  of 
her  efforts  to  elevate  the  political  position  of  her 
sex.  In  1867,  or  thereabouts,  he  gave  her  $4,000 
to  assist  her  paper  "The  Revolution."  Miss  An- 
thony, by  the  way,  lectured  until  she  had  saved 
$10,000  to  pay  off  the  debts  of  that  paper.  Anson 
E.  Lapham  was  somewhat  rotund  in  person,  had  a 
round,  full  face,  a  soft  low  voice  and  was  very  gen- 
tlemanly in  manner.  He  dressed  in  Friends  garb. 
Henry  G.  Lapham  came  to  New  York  and  en- 
tered the  employ  of  Lapham  &  Bulkley  in  1854. 
The  firm  was  dissolved  by  the  retirement  of  Anson 
Lapham  in  1861,  and  became  Bulkley  &  Lapham. 
In  1867  it  was  changed  to  Lapham  &  Bulkley,  at 
which  time  G.  A.  Vail  was  admitted,  and  in  1870  to 
H.  G.  Lapham  &  Co.,  Mr.  Bulkley  retiring.  It  was 
Lapham  &  Clarendon  for  awhile.  In  1873  the  firm 
i^ecame  Lapham,  Costello  &  Co.,  P.  C.  &  P.  H. 
Costello,  of  Camden.  Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y.,  joining  it. 
In  1876,  John  J.  Lapham,  the  eldest  son  of  Mr. 
Lapham,  was  admitted,  and  in  1885  Louis  H.  Lap- 
ham, his  youngest  son.     George  A.   Vail  was  a 


120  HISTORY    OF    THE  SWAMP. 

partner.  This  firm  was  dissolved  Feb.  i,  1887,  the 
Messrs.  Costello  withdrawing  to  form  the  house  of 
P.  C.  Costello  &  Co..  The  remaining  partners  con- 
tinued, adopting  the  style  of  H.  G.  Lapham  &  Co. 

In  1876  Mr.  Lapham  built  and  occupied  the  large 
store  26  and  28  Ferry  street,  now  the  headquarters 
of  the  United  States  Leather  Company.  His  busi- 
ness career  was  very  successful.  He  accumulated 
a  large  fortune  and  was  a  man  of  unusual  ability, 
who  would  have  achieved  success  in  almost  any 
calling.  He  was  a  devoted  supporter  of  the  cause 
of  total  abstinence.  At  a  meeting  of  the  hide  and 
leather  trade  to  take  action  on  Mr.  Lapham's  de- 
cease, which  occurred  Jan.  28th,  1888,  A.  Augustus 
Healy  said  that  upon  one  occasion  Mr.  Lapham 
called  at  the  office  of  the  prohibition  organ  and 
handed  the  editor  a  check  for  $500  with  which  to 
promote  the  cause,  refusing  to  reveal  his  identity 
or  let  his  name  be  known,  and  it  was  only  by  an  ac- 
cident that  it  was  afterward  discovered  by  one  of 
the  members  of  our  trade.  Mr.  Lapham's  support 
of  temperance,  proceeding  from  such  motives  as 
were  his,  was  one  of  the  most  praiseworthy  acts  of 
his  career.  He  was  also  a  man  of  strict  integrity 
and  great  benevolence. 

Mr.  Lapham's  firm  was  continued  until  1893, 
when  their  tanneries  were  sold  to  the  United 
States  Leather  Company.  His  son  Louis  H.  Lap- 
ham is  a  vice  president  of  that  company.  George 
A.  Vail  and  John  J.  Lapham  are  directors. 


BULKLEY  &  LAPHAM.  121 

BULKLEY  &  LAPHAM- 

Joseph  E.  Bulkley  came  to  New  York  from 
Rocky  Hill,  Conn,,  when  he  was  thirteen  years  ol 
age.  He  became  a  clerk  for  E.  K.  Pritchett,  who 
under  that  name  ran  a  branch  of  the  business  of 
Pritchett,  Baugh  &  Co.,  of  Philadelphia. 

In  1840  Mr.  Bulkley  went  in  business  with  H.  J. 
Brooks.  They  dissolved  partnership  in  1853,  each 
having  made  a  fortune.  Then  Mr.  Bulkley  became 
a  partner  with  Anson  Lapham.  This  lasted 
from  1854  to  1861,  as  Lapham  «&  Bulkley.  Anson 
Lapham  retired.  Henry  G.  Lapham  took  his  place 
as  Bulkley  &  Lapham.  E.  W.  Bulkley  w-as  ad- 
mitted in  1864  and  Justus  L.  Bulkley  in  1866^  In 
1870  Joseph  E.  Bulkley  retired  from  the  Lapham 
firm  and  founded  the  house  of  J.  E.  Bulkley  & 
Sons,  with  Edmund  W.  and  Justus  L  Bulkley  as 
his  partners.  E.  W.  Bulkley  died  May  7,  1875. 
The  house  continued  the  sole  leather  tanning  busi- 
ness. The  senior  partner  died  Nov.  17,  1879.  Jo- 
seph E.  Bulkley  was  one  of  the  original  directors 
of  the  Park  Bank  and  for  several  years  its  vice- 
president.  He  was  universally  respected  and  es- 
teemed. 

Justus  L.  Bulkley  succeeded  to  the  business, 
which  he  carried  on  to  1899,  when  he  discontinued 
tanning.  He  has  been  a  successful  tanner  and  is  a 
thorough  business  man  of  sterling  integrity.  He 
owns  the  stores  74  and  76  also  73  and  75  Gold 
street,  and  the  fine  block  on  the  south  east  corner 
of  Gold  and  Ferry  streets.     Mr.  Bulkley  was  ap- 


122  HISTORY    OF    THE   SWAMP. 

pointed  in  the  will  of  Daniel  B.  Fayerweather  as  an 
executor  of  his  estate.  Although  it  was  involved 
in  much  litigation,  he  acted  with  perfect  exactness 
and  justice  in  carrying  out  the  wishes  of  the  mill- 
ionaire leather  dealer. 

WILLIAM  P.  MILLER- 

This  man  was  a  highly  esteemed  member  of  our 
trade.  He  was  born  in  William,  near  Spruce  street, 
in  1 8x2.  In  1831  he  went  with  Austin  Melvin  and 
in  1832  became  a  member  of  the  firm,  with  Jacob 
Lorillard  as  special  partner.  This  was  the  first  in- 
stance of  a  special  partnership  in  this  trade.  Mr. 
Lorillard  held  this  partnership  all  the  time  Mr.  Mil- 
ler was  in  business.  He  built  the  store  85  Gold 
street  for  him.  Mr,  Miller  retired  several  years  be- 
fore his  death,  which  occurred  Dec.  29,  1872. 

AUSTIN  MELVIN- 
Who  is  still  remembered  as  one  of  the  most  honor- 
able and  energetic  of  merchants,  came  from  Massa- 
chusetts and  entered  the  employ  of  Gideon  Lee,  in 
1815.  He  set  out  in  business  on  a  capital  of  $1,500, 
which  Mr.  Lee  loaned  him.  His  profits  were  $60,- 
000  in  ten  years.  Then  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  Wm.  P.  Miller,  which  was  soon  dissolved. 
In  1837  Mr.  Melvin  failed  for  $500,000,  but  after- 
wards paid  all  his  debts  in  full.  His  subsequent 
partners  were  Henry  Bauge  and  two  sons  of  Shep- 
herd Knapp.  When  he  died,  in  1858,  Fredk.  Faw- 
cett  wrote  a  memorial  of  Mr.  Melvin,  at  the  request 
of  members  of  the  trade. 


THOMAS    SMULL.  123 

THOMAS   SMULL. 

came  to  New  York  in  1827,  just  after  having  served 
an  apprenticeship  at  tanning  in  Bethlehem,  Pa. 
He  went  into  business  with  Andrew  Robb,  a 
nephew  of  David  Bryson.  They  failed  in  1829. 
paying  at  the  time  only  a  small  dividend,  but 
Thomas  Smull,  in  after  life,  paid  all  of  his  debts  in 
full.  From  that  time  his  career  was  successful. 
He  went  in  business  with  Thomas  Miles,  at  23 
Ferry  street,  in  1834,  with  a  capital  of  $2,200.  The 
firm  was  Thomas  Smull  &  Co.  They  tanned  Cal- 
cuttta  hides  and  hair  sealskins  for  trunks,  and  did 
a  commission  leather  business. 

The  following  incident  will  show  that  Mr.  Smull 
had  a  good  share  of  the  caution  requisite  for  suc- 
cess in  business.  About  the  time  his  partnership 
with  Mr.  Miles  was  formed,  he  trusted  a  tanner 
with  $4,000  worth  of  hides  to  be  tanned  on  joint 
account.  It  was  Iiis  first  contract  and  he  went  to  a 
leading  Swamp  merchant  to  borrow  a  form  of 
agreement  used  in  such  cases.  To  this  he  added 
a  clause,  not  used  at  that  time,  to  the  effect  that 
the  hides  were  not  to  change  ownership,  but  re- 
main the  property  of  Mr.  Smull  through  all  the 
stages  of  tanning  until  the  leather  was  returned  to 
New  York  for  sale.  The  tanner  failed  and  con- 
fessed judgment  in  favor  of  his  father,  who  sold  the 
stock  in  the  tanyard.  Several  Swamp  merchants 
w^ere. among  the  creditors  and  they  replevined  the 
stock,  but  upon  the  case  coming  to  trial,  the  con- 
tracts, being  without    the  saving  clause,  were  ig- 


124  HISTORY    OF   THE   SWAMP. 

nored  by  the  jury.  Mr.  Smull,  alone,  recovered  his 
stock.  His  carefulness  in  this  transaction  saved 
him  from  a  loss  of  nearly  twice  the  amount  of  his 
entire  capital  at  the  time. 

In  1834  Mr.  Smull  became  acquainted  with  Na- 
thaniel Oilman,  of  Waterville,  Me.,  a  merchant  of 
great  experience,  enlarged  views,  a  good  judge  of 
human  nature,  and  withal  a  rich  man.  Mr.  Oilman 
came  to  New  York  to  sell  a  cargo  of  African  hides, 
and  wishing  to  open  business  relations  with  the 
smaller  leather  dealers,  he  inquired  the  standing 
and  made  the  acquaintance  of  those  on  Ferry 
street.  He  was  told  that  it  was  safe  to  trust  the 
firm  of  T.  Smull  &  Co.  about  a  thousand  dollars, 
and  accordingly  let  them  have  that  amount  of  hides, 
but  liking  their  manner  of  doing  business  he  shortly 
after  left  the  unsold  portion  of  his  cargo  in  their 
hands  for  disposal,  telling  them  he  should  return 
the  next  year  with  more,  and  they  could  sell  the 
hides  and  use  the  proceeds,  paying  interest  therefor 
until  that  time.  His  business  relations  with  Mr. 
Smull  were  of  such  magnitude  that  he  very  soon 
entrusted  him  with  the  disposal  of  cargoes  of  hides, 
etc.,  until  they  held  of  his  funds  some  fifty  thousand 
dollars,  which  by  agreement  was  employed  on  joint 
account. 

At  this  time  Mr.  Smull  was  less  than  thirty  years 
of  age.  Mr.  Oilman  was  an  old  and  experienced 
merchant,  and  the  confidence  which  he  manifested 
in  so  young  a  man  was  certainly  highly  compli- 
mentary to  the  latter. 


THOMAS    SMULL.  125 

The  firm  of  Gilman,  Smull  &  Co.,  was  formed  in 
1840,  the  partners  being  Nathaniel  Gilman,  senior, 
Thomas  Small  and  N.  Gilman,  Jr.  The  large  ex- 
perience and  resources  of  the  new  firm  enabled 
them  at  once  to  take  a  leading  position  among  the 
hide  and  leather  merchants  of  New  York.  They 
imported  largely  of  African  hides  and  after  a  pros- 
perous connection  of  five  years  the  Messrs.  Gilman 
retired  from  the  firm  and  Mr.  Smull  continued  un- 
til 1852,  having  as  special  partner  Mr.  Jonathan 
Thorne,  who  contributed  $50,000  cash  capital  to 
the  common  stock. 

The  firm  of  Smull  &  Healy  was  formed  in  1852 
by  the  admission  of  Aaron  Healy,  who  had  been  in 
Mr.  Smull 's  employ  since  1839.  They  were  located 
at  No.  5  Ferry  street,  and  Mr.  Thorne  still  con- 
tinued as  special  partner,  putting  into  the  new  firm 
the  sum  of  $100,000.  This  continued  for  four 
years,  or  until  1856,  when  Mr.  Healy  bought  the 
business  of  the  firm. 

The  house  of  Thomas  Smull  &  Sons  was  formed 
in  1856  ,and  consisted  of  Thomas  Smull,  his  two 
sons  Thomas  Levan  and  Charles  Gilman  Smull. 
Mr.  John  Burke,  formerly  a  confidential  clerk  in 
the  house  of  Gideon  Lee  &  Co  ,  and  Mr.  Thorne  as 
special  partner.  They  were  located  at  No.  76  Gold 
street.  This  partnership  was  to  have  continued  six 
years,  but  in  i860  the  interest  of  the  partners  was 
purchased  and  the  business  was  continued  by  Mr 
Smull  and  his  sons.  These  afterwards  founded  the 
firm  of  T.  L.  &  C.  G.  Smull.     They  built  a  large 


126  HISTORY    OF    THE  SWAMP. 

block  of  stores  on  Frankfort  street  at  the  head  of 
Gold  street.  Renwick  Speers  was  a  partner.  They 
discoritinued  several  }ears  ago.  Thomas  Smnll  was 
one  of  the  originators  of  the  Sixpenny  Savings 
Bank,  of  which  Thomas  Miles,  his  partner,  was 
presicient  for  many  years.  This  was  the  first  bank 
to  receive  depoits  of  small  sums.  He  was  one  of 
the  incorporators  and  a  director  in  the  Metropoli- 
tan Bank  of  New  York  and  the  First  National  of 
Sing  Sing.  He  died  at  his  house  in  Gramercy 
Park,  New  York,  November  27th,  1867. 

Thomas  Le  Van  Smull  w^as  the  second  son  of 
Thomas  Smull.  He  became  a  clerk  for  Smull  & 
Healy,  when  he  left  school.  After  his  father's 
death  he  formed  the  firm  of  Thomas  L  Smull  &  Co. 
Le  Van  S.  Peck  and  Thomas  Speers  were  junior 
partners.  Later  Mr.  SnuiU  did  business  in  his  in- 
dividual name.  He  owned  the  Athens,  Pa.,  tan- 
nery and  lived  in  that  town.  He  removed  to  Cald- 
well, N.  J.,  and  died  there  May  29th,  1892. 

Sons  of  Nathaniel  Gilman  followed  him  in  the 
hide  and  leather  trade.  George  F.  Gilman  had 
some  experience,  but  he  left  the  business  and 
founded  a  great  tea  house  in  Vesey  street.  Another 
son,  W.  W,  Gilman  (Wat  Gilman)  was  a  tanner. 
He  bought  11,000  acres  in  Sullivan  County,  built  a 
tannery  and  founded  the  town  of  Gilman.  He  sold 
the  leather  at  10  Ferry  street.  His  father,  Nathan- 
iel Gilman,  was  a  millionaire.  His  estate  was  in 
court  more  than  thirty  years.  W.  W.  Gilman  died 
Dec.  5,  1885.     He  had  a  son  who  closed  out  his 


AARON    HEALY.  127 

father's  leather  business  and  went  west  to  deal  in 
real  estate. 

AARON  HEALY- 

For  many  years  a  leading  leather  merchant,  was 
born  in  Hallowell,  Me.  He  was  a  nephew  of  Na- 
thaniel Oilman,  at  whose  suggestion  he  came  to 
New  York,  in  1839,  and  was  employed  by  Oilman, 
Smull  &  Co.  Within  the  next  two  years  he  made 
two  voyages  to  Africa  for  the  firm,  as  super-cargo, 
returning  with  cargoes  of  hides.  At  that  time  Gil- 
man,  Smull  Si  Co.  were  doing  business  at  No.  11 
Ferry  street.  In  1844  they  moved  to  No.  5  Ferry 
street.  In  1852  the  firm  became  Smull  &  Healy, 
with  Jonathan  Thorne  as  special  partner.  In  1856 
Mr.  Healy  bought  the  business.  Charles  B.  Piatt, 
his  bookkeeper,  was  admitted  in  1863,  and  Robert 
V>.  Woodward,  salesman,  as  partner  in  1869.  The 
firm,  formerly  A.  Healy  &  Co.,  w^as  then  changed  to 
Healy,  Piatt  &  Co.,  In  1873  the  partnership  was 
dissolved  and  the  house  of  A.  Healy  &  Son,  con- 
sisting of  Aaron  Healy  and  his  son  A.  Augustus 
Healy,  was  formed.  Frank  Healy  became  a  part- 
ner later  and  the  style  was  changed  to  A.  Healy  & 
Sons.  Aaron  Healy  did  business  at  3  and  5  Ferry 
street  from  1844  to  1893,  when  the  tanneries  of  the 
firm  were  merged  in  the  United  States  Leather 
Company.  In  1866  he  bought  the  property  at  the 
corner  of  Gold  and  Ferry  streets,  from  James  Ker- 
rigan, for  $80,000.  On  that  site  he  erected,  in 
1890,,  a  solid  ten-story  structure,  which  now  bears 
his  name. 


128  HISTORY    OF   THE  SWAMP. 

Mr.  Healy  had  a  natural  taste  for  art,  and  began 
to  form  a  collection  of  paintings  in  1863,  which  he 
sold  at  auction  in  1891.  They  realized  $130,000, 
which  was  considerable  more  than  their  original 
cost. 

A.  Augustus  Healy  is  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
A.  Healy  &  Sons.  He  is  a  director  in  the  Hide  and 
Leather  National  Bank  and  in  the  United  States 
Leather  Company.  He  has  held  official  positions 
in  the  national  and  city  governments,  and  for  sev- 
eral years  has  been  president  of  the  Brooklyn  In- 
stitute of  Arts  and  Sciences.  Like  his  father,  he 
is  also  an  art  collector. 

Frank  Healy,  a  younger  son  and  member  of  the 
firm,  is  now  president  of  the  New  York  Counter 
Comapny. 

MATTHEW  ARMSTRONG. 

Was  the  founder  of  the  wholesale  shoe  findings 
business  in  New  York,  in  1832.  His  store  was 
then  in  Vesey  street.  In  1847  1^^  moved  to  Ferry 
street.  He  died  rich  and  honored  in  June,  1865. 
Three  sons,  John,  Matthew  and  William  Arm- 
strong, inherited  the  business.  They  occupied  the 
large  store  northwest  corner  of  Ferry  and  Jacob 
streets,  and  for  many  years  carried  on  a  flourishing 
trade.  They  bought  the  great  factory  of  the  Bronx 
Wool  and  Leather  Company  at  West  Farms,  on 
the  Bronx  River,  but  it  proved  an  unfortunate 
speculation.  All  the  brothers  are  dead.  William 
Armstrong,  a  son  of  Matthew  Armstrong  and 
grandson  of  the  founder  of  the  house,  is  superin- 


E.   GODFREY.  129 

tendent  of  the  Armstrong  Leather  Company  work? 
at  Peabody,  Mass. 

EDWARD   GODFREY- 

Founded  the  firm  of  E.  Godfrey  &  Sons,  which  foi 
nearly  thirty  years  was  the  largest  leather  and  find- 
ings house  in  New  York.  Mr.  Godfrey  was  a  shoe 
manufacturer  of  West  Point,  and  made  a  fortune 
supplying  shoes  for  the  troops  in  the  Mexican 
War.  He  came  to  New  York  in  1850  and  located 
in  Pearl  street,  but  in  1864  purchased  the  store  29 
Spruce  street,  rebuilt  it  and  did  business  there. 
He  died  in  August,  1864.  His  sons  succeeded ; 
the  youngest  of  Uicu.,  j.^sci^li  Godfrey,  was  a 
leather  dealer  up  1899. 

Alexander  Studwell  was  a  man  of  great  erergy 
and  ability.  He  came  to  New  York  as  clerk  in  the 
wholesale  shoe  house  of  L.  S.  Benton  &  Co.  in 
Pearl  street,  when  he  was  a  boy.  In  1844  he 
founded  the  leather  firm  of  Gillespie  &  Studwell. 
In  1854  he  retired,  put  his  money  in  Illinois  and 
Western  railroads  and  lost  it.  In  1865,  with  his 
sons,  Henry,  George  S.  and  William  Studwell,  he 
formed  the  firm  of  A.  Studwell  &  Co.  In  1881  he 
retired  with  a  considerable  fortune  and  died  at 
Great  Barrington,  Mass.,  October  5th,  1891. 

THE  PIRATE  TANNERS. 

There  are  old  people  in  the  Catskills  who  remem- 
ber the  "Pirate  Tanners."  This  is  the  story.  About 
the  year  1822  a  bark  sailed  from  Philadelphia  bound 


130  HISTORY    OF    THE   SWAMP. 

to  the  West  Indies  on  a  trading  voyage.  She  liad 
on  board  $35,000  in  Spanish  coin  belonging  to 
Stephen  Girard.  When  they  got  outside  of  Cape 
May  the  colored  cook,  named  Wausley,  and  Gibbs, 
a  sailor,  conspired  to  seize  the  vessel  and  money. 
The  rest  of  the  crew  joined  them.  The  captain 
was  killed  with  an  axe  and  his  body  thrown  over- 
board. The  two  mates  were  wounded  and  thrown 
after  him.  One  mate  survived  and  swam  some 
distance  after  the  vessel  begging  to  be  taken 
aboard.  He  was  struck  with  an  oar  and  killed. 
Then  the  vesssel  was  headed  for  New  York.  A 
storm  came  up,  but  the  sailors  got  their  vessel  in- 
side of  Sandy  Hook  and  made  Coney  Island.  Two 
boats  were  lowered  with  a  chest  of  money  in  each. 
One  boat  was  swamped  on  the  beach.  The  crew 
filled  their  pockets  from  the  chest  and  then  the 
boat  went  down  with  the  chest  and  contents,  but 
the  men  got  on  shore.  The  other  boat  got  through 
the  surf  and  the  chest  it  carried  was  buried  in  the 
sand.  Then  all  hands  went  to  the  resorts,  which 
even  then  existed  on  the  island,  and  began  a 
drunken  orgie.  A  fight  occurred  and  one  of  the 
sailors  divulged  the  secret.  Some  citizens  gath- 
ered to  arrest  them,  but  all  except  Gibbs  and  Waus- 
ley escaped.  These  two  were  afterwards  convicted 
of  piracy  and  hanged  on  Bedloe's  Island,  where  the 
Statue  of  Liberty  now  stands.  The  next  morning 
after  the  sailors  landed  the  citizens  of  Coney  Island 
went  to  the  beach  to  secure  the  buried  chest  of 
dollars.  A  hole  was  found  from  which  the  treasure 
had  been  dug  up  and  carried  oflf. 


THE   PIRATE  TANNERS.  131 

A  few  weeks  after  this  occurrence  two  strangers 
came  to  Prattsville,  N.  Y.,  and  announced  their 
intention  of  going  into  tanning.  They  purchased 
a  property  and  improved  it  for  that  purpose.  Cun- 
ningham &  McCormick,  of  Jacob  street,  New 
York,  stocked  it  with  hides.  After  about  a  year  it 
burned  down.  The  tannery  had  been  heavily  in- 
sured, but  it  was  discovered  that  one  of  the  largest 
policies  expired  the  day  before  the  fire.  Hugh 
McCormick  came  up  from  the  city  to  investigate. 
He  only  said,  "They  showed  very  poor  judgment." 
The  tanners  collected  all  the  insurance  they  could 
and  disappeared.  Many  stories  are  told  of  their 
habits.  How  they  lived  alone,  never  spoke  to  their 
neighbors,  and  on  comparing  their  early  expendi- 
ture it  was  foimd  they  had  paid  out  much  silver 
coin.  An  agent  of  Stephen  Girard  came  up  to 
Prattsville,  and  then  it  was  found  out  that  two  of 
the  crew  of  the  bark  the  pirates  robbed  were  tan- 
ners who  left  Philadelphia  to  go  to  sea.  These 
were  no  doubt  the  men  who  dug  up  the  chest  of 
money  buried  on  Coney  Island  and  invested  it  in 
tanning  sole  leather  in  Greene  County. 

WILLIAM  SHERWOOD 

Was  a  familiar  figure  in  the  trade  for  almost  sixty- 
five  years  and  was  at  the  time  of  his  death,  at  the 
age  of  83  years,  the  oldest  merchant  in  the  leather 
business.  He  was  born  in  Burlington,  Vt.,  and 
came  to  New  York  in  1829.  He  worked  at  curry- 
ing for   David   Bryson,   in   Frankfort   street,   and 


132  HISTORY    OF    THE  SWAMP. 

others  until  1832,  when  he  went  to  Newark,  N.  J., 
to  avoid  the  cholera.  He  worked  for  Seth  Boyden, 
currying  patent  and  enameled  leather  eight  years. 
In  1841  he  returned  and  went  into  business  for  him- 
self in  Ferry  street.  Hansen  K.  Corning,  a  leather 
inspector,  was  special  partner  with  Mr.  Sherwood 
for  several  years.  During  the  Mexican  War  Mr. 
Sherwood  furnished  large  quantities  of  army 
leather  for  government  use  and  made  money. 
Elijah  T.  Brown,  Josiah  T.  Tubby  and  Valentine 
Seaman  were  at  different  times  partners  with  Mr. 
Sherwood.  Oliver  Cromwell,  of  Highland  Falls, 
N.  Y.,  tannel  calfskins  in  partnership  with  him.  In 
1867  his  son,  Milton  T.  Sherwood  became  a  part- 
ner, but  retired  in  1878.  They  did  a  commission 
business,  but  it  fell  off  greatly.  Mr.  Sherwood  did 
business  for  some  time  alone,  but  he  was  not  very 
successful.  He  was  an  honorable  merchant.  He 
died  January  6th,  1895,  at  Little  Silver,  N.  J. 

DAVID  WALLERSTEIN 

was  a  pioneer  in  importing  French  calfskins.  He 
was  also  among  the  first  to  bring  patent  leather  to 
this  country.  He  located  in  Beaver  street  in  1847 
and  did  a  successful  trade.  In  1859  ^''C  came  to  the 
Swamp.  He  established  the  celebrated  Simon  Ull- 
mo  tannery  in  Lyons  and  sold  the  product  in  this 
country.  Mr.  Wallerstein  was  a  patron  of  music 
and  art.  He  was  a  merchant  of  sound  integrity  and 
great  ability.  He  died  December  31st,  1881.  His 
son,  Henry  Wallerstein,  was  a  member  of  the  Stock 


DAVID    WALLERSTEIN.  133 

Exchange,  but  he  left  Wall  street  and  has  since 
conducted  the  business  founded  by  his  father. 
Henry  Wallerstein  is  a  member  of  the  Chamber  oi 
Commerce  and  a  leader  in  any  efforts  to  advance 
the  trade  interests  of  New  York. 

ISAAC  H-  BAILEY 

Was  for  any  years  prominent  in  the  leather  trade. 
He  used  to  be  called  "The  Voice  of  the  Swamp," 
for  when  any  speech  making  was  to  do,  he  could 
and  did  do  it.  He  was  born  in  Yarmouth,  Maine, 
and  came  here  about  1837,  when  he  was  eighteen 
years  old.  He  found  employment  with  Gideon 
Lee  &  Co.  About  1840,  Wm.  B.  Isham,  George 
Palen  and  Mr.  Bailey  left  the  Lee  store,  form^ed  a 
firm  and  dealt  in  hides  and  leather.  Mr.  Isham  re- 
tired and  the  house  of  George  Palen  &  Co.,  with 
Mr.  Bailey  as  junior  partner,  was  formed.  This 
lasted  to  about  1868,  when  with  J.  W.  Wiezel,  the 
firm  of  Bailey  &  Weizel  went  into  tanning.  They 
made  the  Germania  hemlock  sole,  using  mostly 
California  hides,  and  about  1871  Mr.  Bailey  we!it 
out  of  the  leather  business.  He  was  interested  in 
politics  and  was  appointed  Commissioner  of  Chari- 
ties and  Correction.  In  1875  he  assumed  charge 
of  the  "Shoe  and  Leather  Reporter,"  and  when  he 
died,  in  1898,  was  its  editor.  He  was  intimate  with 
many  public  men,  and  General  Grant,  at  the  solici- 
tation of  Roscoe  Conklin,  offered  him  the  Col- 
lectorship  of  the  Port  of  New  York,  but  he  de- 
clined. 


134  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP. 

HIDE  BROKERS. 

The  earliest  broker  in  New  York  was  Thomas 
Pyne.  His  office  was  in  Wall  street.  He  sold  cot- 
ton, wool,  tea,  hides  and  any  other  merchandise  he 
could  secure  customers  for.  He  used  to  have 
stuffed  seals  and  seal  skins  hanging  on  the  walls 
of  his  office.  There  were  a  great  many  seal  skins 
finished  in  the  Swamp  seventy  years  ago.  They 
were  mainly  used  to  cover  trunks. 

Hezekiah  D.  Hull  was  the  pioneer  hide  broker. 
He  came  to  New  York  in  1832  from  Hull's  Farms, 
Conn.,  and  began  as  clerk  for  Benjamin  Marsh  in 
Ferry  street.  He  saved  a  moderate  capital  and 
then  went  into  the  leather  business  for  himself.  In 
a  few  years  he  lost  his  money  and  then  entered  the 
brokerage  field  with  the  idea  of  making  the  sale  of 
hides  a  specialty.  With  this  view  he  devoted  him- 
self, early  and  late,  to  the  acquisition  of  such  in- 
formation as  would  enable  him  to  act  advantag- 
eously as  a  medium  between  the  importer  and 
buyer  of  hides  and  skins.  But  he  was  met  with  the 
most  determined  and  persistent  opposition  at  the 
very  outset.  There  was  a  strong  prejudice  against 
the  method  of  doing  business  through  the  medium 
of  a  broker,  among  the  importers  as  well  as  among 
the  buyers  of  hides  and  skins,  many  of  the  latter 
supposing  their  own  facilities  for  buying  to  be  far 
better.  Mr.  Hull's  wonderful  energy  and  persever- 
ance were  in  no  way  diminished  by  the  strong  op- 
position which  thus  met  him  at  the  commencement 
of  his  undertaking. 


HIDE    BROKERS. 


135 


The  first  sale  of  hides  which  he  made  was  to 
Messrs.  James  &  George  Brooks,  of  Ferry  street, 
in  1838. 


H.    D.    HULL. 

PIONEER  HIDE  BROKER. 


The  year  that  Mr.  Hull  commenced — 1838 — the 
import  of  hides  was  613,500  pieces  of  all  sorts, 
valued  at  about  two  million  dollars.  Mr.  Hull  is- 
sued the  first  trade  circular  in  1854. 


136  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP. 

In  addition  to  the  prosecution  of  his  regular 
business,  Mr.  Hull  also,  after  he  had  succeeded  in 
established  himself,  was  a  frequent  purchaser  of 
the  notes  of  such  buyers  in  the  Swamp  as  he  knew 
to  be  reliable.  The  importer  would  fix  a  certain 
price  upon  his  hides  and  skins,  if  Mr.  Hull  would 
dispose  of  the  paper  offered  in  payment  within  a 
certain  margin.  The  bills  of  some  of  the  Swamp 
merchants  were  not  then  as  favorably  known  in 
Wall  street  as  at  the  present  time,  and  Mr.  Hull 
would,  as  far  as  possible,  take  these  bills  himself, 
and  he  often  held  large  amounts  of  this  paper. 

It  was  by  such  means  as  these,  by  dint  of  hard 
work  and  steady  perseverance,  that  Mr.  Hull  grad- 
ually built  up  a  business  which  secured  for  him  a 
handsome  competence  and  opened  up  a  field  in 
which  he  had  many  successors. 

H.  D.  Hull  died  in  New  Canaan,  Conn.,  Febru- 
ary 5,  1866.  His  only  son,  Henry  I.  Hull,  suc- 
ceeded to  his  business  and  has  carried  it  on,  at 
times  alone  and  at  times  with  partners,  since  1866. 

Lucien  and  Orrin  Terry  began  as  hide  brokers  at 
59  Ferry  street  about  1850.  They  did  a  large  busi- 
ness in  Orinoco  hides.  Afterwards  they  became 
regular  dealers  and  failed.  Both  are  dead  now. 
William  Brooks  and  his  son,  H.  Josiah  Brooks, 
were  early  brokers.  Valentine  Everett  was  a 
broker.  Simon  B.  Hunt  and  Stephen  Brown  were 
partners  in  the  business  at  one  time. 

Jesse  Pickard  and  John  Andresen  formed  the 
firm  of  Pickard  &  Andresen,  hide  brokers,  about 


HIDE   BROKERS.  I37 

1857.  Mr.  Pickard  died  June  17th,  1884.  He  was 
widely  known  in  the  trade  and  universally  res- 
pected. His  son,  Frederic  W.  Pickard,  is  a  hide 
broker. 

John  Andresen  is  now  of  the  firm  of  John  Andre- 
sen  &  Son,  Chas.  A.  Andresen  being  the  junior 
partner.  This  firm  are  honorable,  upright  men,  in 
whom  the  trade  have  the  fullest  confidence. 

James  B.  Dewson,  about  1857,  went  in  the  store 
of  Robertson  &  Butman,  afterwards  Thorne,  Wat- 
son &  Butman.  He  began  in  the  hide  brokerage 
with  Pickard  &  Andresen  and  later  formed  the 
firms  of  Brooks  &  Dewson,  Dewson,  Hull  &  Co., 
and  is  now  the  prior  of  James  B.  Dewson  &  Co. 
with  John  F.  Crosson  and  Pierce  J.  McCarthy  as 
partners.  They  are  popular,  and  sell  their  quota 
of  hides. 

Wiezel  &  Wiedemeyer  and  L.  Ludovici  were 
hide  brokers  of  old.  Henry  Danforth  was  once  a 
partner  with  H.  Josiah  Brooks,  These  brokers 
sold  almost  all  the  hides  tanners  used,  and  were  ex- 
pected to  deal  impartially  as  between  tanners  and 
importers. 

Benj.  M.  Day  is  the  veteran  goatskin  broker. 
William  Friel  has  been  the  chosen  selecter  of  skins 
for  thirty  years.  Pfarrar  &  Templin  are  gaining  a 
foothold  in  the  trade.  The  goatskin  trade  is  a  large 
one.  Something  like  40,000,000  skins  are  imported 
annually. 

Hide  brokers'  charges  are  three-quarters  of 
one   per   cent,  for  sales  of  dry  hides   the   product 


138  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP. 

of  the  American  Continent,  and  one  per  cent,  on 
wet  salted  hides  and  skins. 

Joseph  R.  E.  Moore  was  born  in  Liberty  street. 
His  father  was  a  prominent  merchant.  In  1862 
Mr.  Moore  went  into  the  office  of  Stephen  Brown 
and  afterwards  became  a  partner  in  hide  brokerage. 
In  1870  he  was  in  business  with  Mark  Hoyt,  then 
wdth  Dewson  &  West,  Moore  &  Moody,  and  for 
several  years  has  transacted  business  alone. 

EDWIN  B-  STIMPSON 

Came  from  England  in  1853.  He  founded  the 
business  of  making  small  machines  for  shoe  manu- 
facturers and  dealt  in  fine  leather.  He  did  business- 
in  the  Swamp  for  thirty  years,  lie  was  a  generous- 
hearted  man,  of  strict  integrity,  and  an  inventor  of 
great  ability.  He  died  October  6,  1888.  His  son, 
who  bore  the  same  name,  succeeded.  He  shows 
the  same  gentlemanly  characteristics  and  ability 
possessed  by  his  honored  father,  and  has  greatly 
enlarged  the  business  of  devising  shoe  patterns  and 
inventing  the  contrivances  for  making  them. 

CHARLES  HAUSELT 

Was  a  merchant  prince  in  the  New  York  leather 
trade.  He  came  from  Germany  in  1840  to  repre- 
sent Doerr  &  Rhinehart,  of  Worms,  in  their  patent 
and  wax  calfskin,  a  business  his  successors  still  re- 
tain. About  twenty  years  ago  his  nephews,  Charles 
E.  Hauselt  and  Oscar  Scherer,  went  with  him  and 


CHARLES   HAUSELT.  139 

became  partners.  They  added  the  manufacture  oi 
"Flower  City"  and  "Empire  City"  kid.  Charles 
Hauselt  died  February  7th,  1890,  and  after  that  his 
successors  greatly  enlarged  the  business.  Charles 
E.  Hauselt  retired  in  1898  and  Oscar  Scherer  and 
Albert  G.  Scherer  took  over  the  business  and 
formed  the  firm  of  Oscar  Scherer  &  Brother.  Al- 
bert G.  Scherer  had  been  the  manufacturer.  Their 
product,  especially  in  colored  kid,  took  the  highest 
rank.  They  opened  an  export  trade  and  sell  their 
kid  to  every  part  of  the  world  where  leather  is  used. 
Charles  Hauselt,  the  founder  of  this  firm,  was  for 
nine  years  president  of  the  German  Society  of  New 
York.  In  1886  he  received  from  the  Emperor  of 
Germany  the  Crown  Order,  Third  Class,  for  ser- 
vices rendered  to  Germans  in  this  country. 

THEODORE  L.  LUTKINS 

Was  an  importer  and  dealer  in  sheepskins  and  fine 
leather  almost  forty  years.  He  was  noted  for  being 
the  largest  man  in  the  leather  trade.  He  was  six 
feet  four  inches  tall  and  stout  in  proportion.  He 
died  November  19th,  1891,  aged  64  years.  He  was 
a  faithful,  charitable,  honorable  man.  His  sons, 
T.  L.  Lutkins,  Stephen  L.  Lutkins  and  Clififord  L. 
Lutkins  are  in  the  sheepskin  business. 

JOHN  B-  WOODWARD 

Was  in  the  trade  many  years  as  manager  in  New 
York  for  the  Buenos  Ayres  house  of  Edward 
Haines,  dealer  in  hides  and  wool.    Mr.  Woodward 


140  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP. 

was  born  in  Brooklyn  in  1835.  He  was  prominent 
in  military  circles.  In  1854  he  joined  the  Brook- 
lyn City  Guard.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  war 
he  went  to  the  front  as  Colonel  of  the  Thirteenth 
(Brooklyn)  Regiment.  He  served  through  the 
war.  The  Swamp  merchants  presented  him  with  a 
beautiful  and  very  valuable  horse.  In  1868  Colonel 
Woodward  was  appointed  Major  General  of  the 
National  Guard,  Inspector  General  in  1875  and 
Adjutant  General  in  1877  and  1878.  He  was  presi- 
dent of  the  Third  Avenue  National  Bank  and  for 
twenty-eight  years  a  trustee  and  eight  years  presi- 
dent of  the  Brooklyn  Institute  of  x^rts  and  Sciences. 
He  died  March  7,  1896.  His  associates  at  the  In- 
stitute held  a  memorial  meeting  on  May  7th  of  that 
year  at  the  Church  of  the  Savior  in  Brooklyn  in 
honor  of  his  memory.  His  successor,  A.  Augustus 
Healy,  President  of  the  Institute,  was  in  the  chair, 
and  he  made  the  memorial  address.  Rev.  S.  A. 
Elliott,  ex-Governor  Bulkeley  of  Connecticut,  and 
General  Stewart  L,  Woodford  made  addresses. 

GEORGE  EVANS 
Came  from  England  and  went  into  the  leather  busi- 
ness in  1828.  He  was  located  at  No.  i  Jacob  street 
for  thirty-five  years.  Mr.  Evans  was  an  afifable, 
courteous  merchant,  and  highly  esteemed.  His 
oldest  son  is  still  in  the  Swamp. 

JAMES  MEINEL 
Was  a  noted  Swamper  whom  few  now  remember. 
He  manufactured  goat  skins  from  1809  to  1825. 


JAMES   MEINEL.  141 

He  was  a  practical  man  and  made  good  kid.  In 
1825  he  left  the  business.  He  owned  the  premises 
No.  28  Ferry  street,  and  in  1830  he  returned  there 
and  did  a  commission  business  in  hides  and  leather 
with  Richard  Stout  and  James  Meinel,  Jr.,  as 
partners.  The  firm  of  Meinel  &  Stout  was  suc- 
cessful and  the  partners  retired  with  ample  fortunes 
about  1848.  Mr.  Meinel  died  that  year.  He  was  a 
capital  shot  and  a  great  sportsman.  He  was  a  fre- 
quent prize  winner  in  the  ''turkey  shootings"  held 
regularly  in  the  Swamp  when  he  first  engaged  in 
business.  He  built  and  owned  the  "Globe"  Thea- 
tre on  Broadway.  His  son,  James,  Jr.,  was  a  prac- 
tical joker  and  some  people  w-ere  afraid  to  pass  his 
store  for  fear  of  snow  balls  hurled  from  the  roof,  or 
"juicy  bricks"  set  in  the  sidewalk.  Of  course  there 
were  sharp  clerks  in  Ferry  street  who  retaliated, 
and  he  got  drenched  more  than  once  with  pails  of 
water  emptied  from  overhead  just  as  he  was  carry- 
ing out  some  of  his  plans  for  mischief. 

FRIEND  H-  BURT 

Worked  as  a  boy  in  the  Swamp  and  learned  to  be  a 
currier.  He  went  East  and  tanned  in  Massachu- 
setts for  several  years.  In  1855  he  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  Massachusetts  Legislature  on  the 
Free  Soil  ticket.  Afterwards  he  became  a  citizen 
of  New  York  and  in  i860  was  elected  to  the  Legis- 
lature from  that  State.  In  1866,  with  his  son,  Frank 
Burt,  he  went  to  Mannington,  West  Virginia,  and 
began  tanning  oak  sole  and  rough.     He  bought  a 


142  HISTORY    OF    THE  SWAMP. 

great  tract  of  land  and  there  are  more  than  thirty  oil 
wells  on  it  running  some  hundreds  of  gallons  daily. 
His  son,  Frank  Burt,  has  been  Grand  Master  of 
Masons  for  hisState.  He  is  a  great  advocate  of 
temperance,  and  was  one  of  the  ofificials  of  Prohibi- 
tion Park,  Staten  Island. 

Thomas  S.  Chapman  came  from  Utica,  where  he 
had  been  in  the  banking  business,  and  with  Thomas 
Everit,  son  of  Valentine  Everit,  made  up  the  firm  of 
Everit  &  Chapman.  They  continued  ten  years,  at 
the  end  of  which  time  he  connected  himself  with 
Whitcomb  &  Hill,  tanners  in  western  New  York, 
and  did  business  as  Whitcomb  &  Chapman,  at  9 
Ferry  street.  They  used  to  sell  Burt's  Mannington 
leather  and  in  1893  Frank  Burt,  the  tanner,  came 
here  and  became  a  partner  in  the  firm  of  Chapman 
&  Burt. 

THE  WILLETS  FAMILY. 
This  great  house  was  founded  by  R.  Willets  in 
1826.  They  built  a  store  in  Pearl  street,  running 
through  to  ClifY  street,  in  1840,  and  the  firm  still 
own  and  occupy  it.  In  1840  they  began  to  receive 
hides.  For  many  years  they  got  all  the  California 
hides  that  came  to  New  York.  In  1875  they  built 
the  Stoneham  tannery  and  sold  the  leather  until 
1893,  when  it  merged  in  the  United  States  Leather 
Company.  The  Willets  family  are  of  the  Society 
of  Friends.     They  are  rich  and  charitable, 


THE  STOUTS.  143 

THE  STOUTS- 

The  fust  of  this  name  to  engage  in  the  leather 
trade  was  John  W.  Stout,  who  was  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  Meinel  &  Stout  for  a  short  time,  about  1830. 
He  went  to  New  Brunswick,  N.  J.,  after  that,  and 
tanned  oak  calfskins.  His  relatives,  Thomas  and 
Richard  Stout,  formed  the  firm  of  T.  &  R.  Stout  in 
1835,  and  did  business  at  51  Ferry  street.  They 
dealt  in  sole  leather,  made  money,  were  conserva- 
tive, and  this  was  one  of  the  few  firms  that  paid  in 
full  through  the  panic  of  1837. 

Thomas  Stout  retired  from  the  firm  and  from 
business  in  1852.  Richard  Stout,  with  his  oldest 
son,  John  W.  Stout,  Jr.,  as  he  has  always  signed 
himself,  continued  as  R.  Stout  &  Son.  They  en- 
gaged in  tanning  on  their  own,  and  in  joint  account, 
and  on  commission  for  importers  of  hides.  One  of 
their  yards  at  Callicoon,  Sullivan  County,  N.  Y., 
was  known  as  the  Stout  tannery. 

John  W.  Stout,  Jr.,  drew  out  of  this  firm  in  18C2. 
His  brother  William  took  his  place.  George  H. 
and  Ricliard  Stout,  Jr.,  younger  brothers,  engaged 
as  partners  at  different  dates,  and  when  Richard 
Stout  died  January  ist,  1870,  succeeded  to  the  busi- 
ness. These  firms  were  W.  &  R.  Stout  and  W.  R. 
Stout  &  Brother,  tanners  of  hemlock  sole.  They 
went  out  of  business  in  1894. 

In  1862  John  W.  Stout,  Jr.,  founded  the  firm  of 
Stout  &  Tuttle.  Geo.  W.  Tuttle  had  been  in  tan- 
ning and  had  a  leather  store  in  Spruce  street. 
Stout  &  Tuttle  tanned  oak,  union  and  hemlock  sole. 


144  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP. 

They  dissolved  in  1869  and  J.  W.  Stout,  Jr.,  with  his 
brother,  George  H.  Stout,  founded  the  firm  of  J. 
W.  &  G.H.  Stout,  which  dissolved  in  1873,  and  both 
partners  engaged  in  other  pursuits.  A  few  years 
thereafter  George  H.  Stout  came  back  to  a  part- 
nership with  his  brothers,  and  John  W.  Stout,  Jr., 
became  a  hide  broker,  which  occupation  he  still  fol- 
lows. 

John  W.  Stout,  Jr.,  was  born  in  his  father's  house 
on  the  southwest  corner  of  Gold  and  Frankfort 
streets,  in  1831.  He  is  the  only  man  in  the  leather 
trade,  now  living,  who  was  born  in  the  Swamp. 

CHARLES  A.  SCHIEREN  &  CO- 

Many  years  ago  Philip  F.  Pasquay  was  a  well 
known  manufacturer  of  leather  belting  in  the 
Swamp.  He  died  about  1866.  Charles  A.  Schieren 
was  his  bookkeeper.  He  came  to  this  country 
with  his  parents  in  1856.  At  first  he  was  engaged 
in  the  cigar  trade  with  his  father,  but  he  took  a  dis- 
like to  it,  and  in  1864  obtained  a  situation  as  a  sales^ 
man  in  the  leather  belting  house  of  Philip  F.  Pas- 
quay,  25  Spruce  street.  By  close  application  and 
energy  he  soon  acquainted  himself  with  the  busi- 
ness, especially  the  making  of  leather  belting. 
When  his  employer  died,  Mr.  Schieren  was  selected 
as  manager  of  the  estate.  The  business  was  sold 
to  Heim  &  Zimmerman,  and  with  them  he  re- 
mained until  April,  1868,  when  he  founded  the  pres- 
ent house,  at  No.  92  Gold  street,  with  the  moderate 
savings  of  his  four  years'  salary.    He  built  up,  in  a 


HON.   CMAS.  A.   SCHIEREN 
.MAYOR  OF  BROOKLYN.  1894-5. 


CHARLES   A.  SCHIEREN  &  CO.  145 

comparatively  short  time,  one  of  the  leading  leather 
belting  establishments  of  this  country.  He  con- 
tinued alone  until  1882,  when  he  entered  into  co- 
partnership with  Jacob  R.  Stine.  The  latter  re- 
tired at  the  expiration  of  the  term  in  1887,  and  in 
1888  F.  A.  M.  Burrell  was  admitted.  Mr.  Burrell 
began  as  office  boy  in  1877,  and  worked  his  way  up 
to  the  position  of  chief  clerk,  and  next  of  partner. 
He  has  had  an  interest  in  the  house  since  1882. 
Charles  A.  Schieren,  Jr.,  is  a  partner.  The  firm  do 
an  extensive  business  over  the  entire  civilized 
world..  They  have  branches  in  Boston,  Philadel- 
phia and  Chicago.  They  own  a  tannery  in  Brook- 
lyn, N.  Y.,  where  60,000  sides  of  lace  leather  are 
made  yearly;  also  one  at  Dixie,  Tenn.,  where  about 
160,000  belting  butts  are  tanned  yearly,  and  they 
stock  others.  Mr.  Schieren  has  of  late  years  paid 
special  attention  to  making  belting  suited  for  elec- 
tric light  machinery,  and  obtained  several  valuable 
patents  for  improvements  made  in  belting  in  that 
line. 

The  American  Leather  Link  Belt  Company,  o! 
which  Charles  A.  Schieren  is  president,  occupy  the 
building  on  the  corner  of  Ferry  and  Clifif  streets. 
The  link  belt  is  made  from  oak  stock ;  it  is  very 
flexible  and  can  be  adjusted  to  any  angle.  It  pos- 
sesses grip  power  and  pliability,  and  is  useful  when 
shafts  are  out  of  line  with  each  other,  or  when  belts 
need  to  be  twisted. 

Charles  A.  Schieren  was  Mayor  of  Brooklyn  in 
1894  and  1895  and  is  prominent  in  city  afifairs. 


146  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP. 

HIDE  AND  LEATHER  BANK- 

This  financial  institution  was  opened  for  business 
June  15th,  1 891.  The  capital  was  $500,000.  On  the 
first  day  forty-six  accounts  were  opened  and  $223,- 
888.43  deposited.  The  main  customers  were  of  the 
leather  and  hide  trades,  but  other  interests  were 
represented.  Charles  B.  Fosdick,  an  importer  of 
skins  was  the  first  president.  Dick  S.  Ramsay,  one 
of  the  ablest  financiers  in  the  country,  was  his  suc- 
cessor. Mr.  Ramsay  is  president  also  of  the  Ely  & 
Ramsay  Stove  Company.  Chas.  A.  Schieren  !s 
vice-president  of  this  bank. 

JAMES  R.  PLUM  &  GALE- 

During  the  early  part  of  this  century  Elias  Plum 
was  a  leading  leather  merchant  and  tanner  in  Troy. 
His  son,  James  R.  Plum,  came  to  New  York  as 
clerk  for  Bullard  &  Co.  Later  he  engaged  in  busi- 
ness with  his  brother,  Elias  Plum,  Jr.,  as  a  partner. 
Frank  A.  Gale  was  born  in  Ann  street.  His  father, 
Andrew  D.  Gale,  was  of  the  firm  of  Gale,  Stout  & 
Ward,  wholesale  shoes.  The  son  was  of  H.  D.  Hull 
&  Co.  from  1856  to  1868.  Then  he  joined  James 
R.  Plum  as  J.  R.  Plum  &  Gale,  tanners.  Mr.  Plum 
is  a  director  in  the  Importers'  and  Traders'  Bank 
and  one  of  our.  strong  financial  men.  He  is  treas- 
urer of  the  United  States  Leather  Company. 

SCHEFTEL   BROTHERS- 

Morris  S.  Scheftel  founded  a  leather  importing 
house  in  1862.     Adolph  Scheftel,  who  had  been  a 


SCHEFTEL    BROTHERS.  147 

banker,  came  with  him  and  the  firm  became  Schef- 
tel  Brothers.  Morris  S.  Scheftel  died  in  1865  and 
his  brother,  Adolph  Scheftel,  took  the  business. 
He  introduced  many  fine  brands  of  French  skins 
into  this  country.  He  has  retired  from  active  par- 
ticipation, but  invests  capital  in  manufacturing  fine 
leather.  He  is  a  good  merchant  and  a  benevolent 
man. 

JOHN  H.  BOWIE 

Was  a  famous  man  in  his  day.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  old  Maryland  family  of  that  name,  and  came 
to  the  Swamp  about  1830.  He  made  fire  buckets, 
fire  hose,  and  also  the  leather  helmets  the  fireman 
and  constables  used  to  wear,  from  which  the  consta- 
bles got  the  name  of  ''leather  heads."  Mr  Bowie 
built  the  store  No.  25  Ferry  street  about  1852  and 
did  business  there.  He  served  in  the  New  York 
I-egislature,  was  a  leather  inspector  and  a  sachem 
of  Tammany.  He  left  the  trade  and  was  succeeded 
by  S.  Vanderhocf  &  Son,  now  also  out  of  business. 

LORING  ANDREWS  ROBERTSON 

Was  one  of  the  financial  giants  of  the  leather  trade. 
He  was  born  in  Windham,  N.  Y.,  in  1828.  He  came 
to  New  York  in  1857  and  founded  the  house  of 
Robertson  &  Butnian.  His  father,  George  Rob- 
ertson, was  a  partner.  He  was  a  sole  leather  tan- 
ner. Messrs.  Thorne  and  Watson  were  special 
partners.  This  firm  dissolved  in  1862  and  L.  A. 
Robertson   ran   several   tanneries   and   did   a  very 


148  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP. 

large  business  during  the  war.  He  tanned  "Middle 
Valley"  leather  and  was  the  first  to  introduce  hem- 
lock tannage  in  the  South.  After  the  war  the  peo- 
ple of  that  section  were  too  poor  to  buy  oak  leather, 
to  whicli  they  had  been  accustomed,  and  they  took 
the  red  sides  freely.  Mr.  Robertson  laid  the  foun- 
dation of  his  great  fortune  in  this  trade.  In  1870 
Mr.  Robertson  came  to  New  York  and  made  a  part- 
nership with  Wm.  G.  Hoople.  The  firm  was  Rob- 
ertson &  Hoople,  which  continued  until  Oct.  9, 
1890,  when  Mr.  Robertson  was  found  dead  in  his 
bed  at  the  St.  George  Hotel,  Brooklyn.  A  flagrant 
attempt  was  made  to  get  possession  of  a  part  of  his 
fortune  of  $2,500,000  by  swindlers  who  put  a  woman 
forward  to  personate  his  wife.  A  Morocco  manu- 
facturer met  her  at  a  whist  party,  during  which  time 
she  was  being  coached  for  the  part,  and  was  intro- 
duced to  her  as  "the  widow  of  L.  A.  Robertson,  a 
leather  dealer  who  had  recently  died."  This  man 
spoke  of  it  to  the  writer  of  this  sketch,  who  reported 
it  to  the  heirs  and  relatives.  Detectives  were  put 
on  her  track.  The  plot  failed  and  the  woman  con- 
fessed that  she  had  never  seen  Mr.  Robertson.  He 
was  never  married.  L.  A.  Robertson  was  a  mer- 
chant of  great  integrity  who  did  many  deeds  of 
charity  according  to  the  Scriptural  injunction. 

GEORGE  A-  DOCKSTADER 

Was  a  leather  dealer  and  partner  with  Elijah  T. 
Brown  from  1856  to  1862.  Mr.  Dockstader  left  the 
firm  and  traded  in  leather  in   Spruce  street  until 


GEORGE    A.  DOCKSTADER.  i49 

G.  Dockstader  and  Washington  L,  Cooper,  his  son 
and  son-in-law,  and  retired.  Mr.  Dockstader  was  a 
charitable  man,  with  many  friends  in  the  trade.  He 
died  July  26,  1890,  aged  76  years. 

ISAAC  HYDE,  JR., 

Was  a  leather  merchant  from  1842  to  1877.  Previ- 
ous to  that  he  had  been  successfully  engaged  m  the 
white  lead  trade.  His  first  venture  in  leather  was 
with  Edwin  R.  Tremain,  as  Hyde  &  Tremain.  Tnis 
lasted  three  years.  Then  Mr.  Hyde  did  business 
alone  awhile,  and  in  1847  connected  himself  with 
Valentine  Everit,  the  firm  being  Hyde  &  Everit  un- 
til i860,  when  it  was  dissolved  and  Edmond  B, 
Hyde  w^as  taken  as  partner,  under  the  fiim  name  of 
Isaac  Hyde,  Jr.,  &  Son,  The  senior  partner  retired 
from  business  in  1877.  He  owned  the  store  N.->.  9 
Ferry  street. 

Mr.  Hyde  was  a  just  and  honorable  merchant. 
He  was  very  social,  and  on  several  occasions  enter- 
tained his  associates  in  the  Swamp  at  his  house  in 
Brooklyn.  Isaac  Hyde,  Jr.,  died  April  14,  1885, 
aged  74  years. 

The  oil  firm  of  Hyde  Bros.  &  Swift  did  b\isiness 
at  9  Ferry  street  ten  years.  E.  B.  and  Harry  Hyde, 
sons  of  Isaac  Hyde,  Jr.,  and  T.  H.  Swift  were  the 
partners. 

ELIJAH  T-  BROWN 

Came  into  the  store  of  Austin  Melvin,  who  w^as  an 
uncle  by  marriage,  in  1830.     He  engaged  in  busi- 


ISO  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP. 

ness  for  himself  about  1835.  He  was  a  careful  op- 
erator and  was  always  contented  to  do  a  small  busi- 
ness. S.  A.  Kissam  was  a  partner  several  years 
ago.  David  Myers  and  Geo.  A.  Gordon  were  ad- 
mitted later.  Mr.  Gordon  was  a  clerk  with  the 
house  for  several  years.     Mr.  Brown  died  Oct.  loth, 

1876,  aged  66  years.  Myers  &  Gordon  succeeded. 
Mr.  Myers  retired.  Mr.  Gordon  died  in  1898.  M. 
B.  Willcox  succeeded.  E.  T.  Brown  was  a  man  of 
literary  ability  and  an  honorable  and  highly  re- 
spected merchant, 

FREDERICK  T.   FAWCETT 

Went  intO'  the  leather  trade  in  1833.  He  was  first 
a  clerk  and  then  a  partner  with  Wm.  P.  Miller. 
His  firm  was,  later,  F.  &  T.  Fawcett  and  Fawcett, 
Benedict  &  Co.  James  S.  Benedict  and  Warren  T. 
Fawcett,  a  nephew,  were  partners.  Mr.  Fawcett 
was  a  politician  in  early  life  and  active  in  Tammany 
Hall,  which  w-as  then  located  in  Chatham,  at  the 
head  of  Frankfort  street.  He  and  John  Van  Buren 
and  Zadock  Pratt  were  elected  members  the  same 
night.  Mr.  Fawcett  was  vice-president  of  the  Six- 
penny Savings  Bank  at  one  time.     He  died  in  May, 

1877.  He  was  a  man  of  dignified  character,  thor- 
ough honesty,  and  possessed  of  considerable  liter- 
ary ability.  His  son,  Edgar  Fawcett,  is  a  well- 
known  author. 

Col.  George  Robertson,  who  died  at  Windham, 
Aug.  12,  1889,  was  for  nine  years  with  Zadock 
Pratt.     He  also  tanned  at  Windham,  Constantia, 


FREDERICK   FAWCETT.  151 

Forestport  and  Big  Hollow,  N.  Y.  He  was  the 
father  of  Loring  Andrews  Robertson,  of  the  firm  of 
Robertson  &  Hoople. 

Col.  Benjamin  Burhans  was  a  notable  visitor  to 
the  Swamp.  He  began  to  send  leather  there  more 
than  fifty  years  ago  from  his  tannery  near  the  Cats- 
kills.  He  afterward  located  at  Warrensburg,  six 
miles  from  Lake  George.  He  was  of  splendid  phy- 
sique, and  upward  of  six  feet  in  height.  William  B. 
Isham  married  his  daughter.  He  had  a  partner, 
^'Col."  Gray,  and  two  votaries  of  the  muses  in  the 
Swamp  dedicated  a  poem  to  him,  entitled  "Gray's 
Elegy  in  a  Country  Tanyard." 

Charles  &  Giles  Isham  had  a  tannery  at  Shanda- 
ken,  N.  Y.  The  three  sons  of  the  first  named,  Sam- 
uel, William  B.  and  Charles  H.,  all  went  into  the 
Swamp.  C.  &  G.  Isham  were  not  tanners,  but 
merchants.  They  came  in  possession  of  the  tan- 
nery, which  was  in  one  of  the  largest  patches  of  wild 
land  in  the  State,  and  formed  a  part  of  Livingston 
Manor.  Wm.  B.  and  Chas.  H.  Isham  have  retired. 
They  own  stores  in  the  Swamp.  Samuel  Isham 
was  of  the  firm  of  S.  &  C.  H.  Isham.  He  built  the 
store  91  Gold  street  in  1855.  Chas.  H.  Isham  owns 
it  now.  Samuel  Isham  died  in  1865.  M.  Harry 
Moody  was  a  partner  in  the  firm  of  C.  H.  Isham  & 
Co.  for  many  years. 

Jay  Gould  was  a  partner  with  Zadock  Pratt  thirty- 
five  or  forty  years  ago.  In  1856  Charles  M.  Leupp 
&  Co.  bought  out  Col.  Pratt's  interests  in  the 
Gouldsboro,  Pa.,  tannery,  and  that  made  Mr.  Gould 


152  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP. 

a  partner  with  that  firm,  which  he  continued  to  be 
till  the  concern  went  into  liquidation  on  the  death  of 
C.  M.  Leupp  in  1859. 

Charles  J.  Osborn,  who  subsequently  acquired  a 
large  fortune  in  Wall  street,  was  a  connection  by 
marriage  of  William  P.  Miller,  and  for  a  time  a  clerk 
in  his  firm.  Subsequently  he  was  in  the  employ  of 
Henry  Bucking,  in  Spruce  street.  He  afterward 
had  $80,000  special  capital  in  the  sheepskin  firm  of 
H.  Atkinson  &  Co. 

Charles  F.  Woerishoflfer,  founder  of  the  banking 
house  of  Woerishofifer  &  Co.,  was  connected  with  a 
leather  importing  house  when  he  first  came  to  New 
York,  and  afterward  advanced  to  a  fellow-country- 
man several  thousand  dollars  to  establish  a  tannery 
in  Jersey  City. 

Rufus  B.  Cowing,  one  of  the  judges  of  the  Court 
of  Sessions,  was  a  clerk  with  Chas.  M.  Leupp  &  Co., 
afterward  with  Jay  Gould  at  the  Gouldsboro'  tan- 
nery, and  a  teller  in  the  Mechanics'  Bank  when 
Shepherd  Knapp  was  President. 

GEORGE  PALEN 
Was  a  son  of  Jonathan  Palen,  a  tanner,  and  from 
him  he  learned  the  trade.  He  came  to  New  York 
and  became  a  clerk  for  Gideon  Lee  &  Co.  about 
1836.  Then  he  went  to  tanning  with  C.  &  G.  Isham, 
of  Shandaken.  In  1840  he  opened  a  leather  store 
at  No.  19  Ferry  street,  New  York,  the  Ishams  being 
special  partners.  A  few  years  later  he  removed 
to  87  Gold  street.     In  1849  Isaac  H.  Bailey  and 


GEORGE   PALEN.  153 

Wm.  B.  Isham,  who  were  clerks  with  him,  became 
partners.  The  firm  was  George  Palen  &  Co.  Mr. 
Isham  withdrew  in  1855.  Mr.  Bailey  retired  in 
1868.  George  Palen  took  his  son,  of  the  same 
name,  as  partner.  George  Palen  died  Oct.  loth, 
1876.  He  was  a  man  of  ability  and  sterling  integ- 
rity. The  Palens  were  a  family  of  tanners  at  Palen- 
ville,  in  the  Catskills.  They  began  to  bring  sole 
leather  to  New  York  in  1825  and  were  among  the 
first  to  do  so.  Peter  E.,  Gilbert  E.,  and  Jonathan 
Palen  were  their  names.  There  were  at  one  time 
twelve  Palens  in  the  leather  trade,  as  tanners  and 
merchants.  One  son  of  Gilbert  E.  Palen  was  Rufus 
Palen,  who  represented  his  district  in  Congress  at 
Washington  in  1836.  James  Palen,  another  son, 
did  business  in  Jacob  street,  with  Shepherd  Knapp 
as  special  partner  from  1839  until  he  died  in  1846. 

WILLIAM  PALEN. 

Is  connected  with  the  export  department  of  the 
United  States  Leather  Company  at  New  York. 
He  was  born  in  Palenville,  Greene  County,  N.  Y., 
in  October,  1818.  His  father,  Peter  E.  Palen,  was 
a  tanner.  William  Palen  came  into  the  New  York 
Swamp  in  September,  1836,  as  clerk  for  Gideon 
Lee  &  Co.  His  first  business  venture  was  with  the 
firm  of  Gideon  Lee  Knapp,  after  which  he  formed 
the  firm  of  Wm.  Palen  &  Noble,  which,  after  five 
years,  was  dissolved,  and  Mr.  Palen  continued  for  a 
few  years  alone.  About  1866,  in  company  with 
Richard  Nelsen,  he  established  the  leather  broker- 


154 


HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP. 


WILLIAM    PALEN. 


age  firm  of  Palen,  Nelson  &  Co.  They  were  for 
several  years  the  leaders  in  this  line  in  the  trade. 
When  the  United  States  Leather  Company  was 
formed  the  firm  dissolved. 


SAMUEL  T-  KEESE 

Came  to  New  York  to  be  a  clerk  with  Thorne,  Wat- 
son &  Co.,  in  1852.  He  soon  made  a  partnership 
with  Smith  Ely,  Jr.,  as  Ely  &  Keese.  This  lasted 
to  1857.  Then,  with  Thos.  W.  Pearsoll,  he  founded 
the  firm  of  Keese  &  Pearsoll.    In  1867  Adam  Ram- 


SAMUEL  T.  KEESE.  I5S 

say  McCoy  succeeded  Mr.  Pearsoll  and  the  firm  of 
Keese  &  McCoy,  with  John  Watson  as  special  part- 
ner, did  business  to  1872.  George  W.  Thome  then 
came  with  Mr.  Keese,  with  Mr.  Watson  as  special. 
The  firm  of  Keese  &  Thorne  expired  by  limitation 
in  1877.  Mr.  Keese  then  went  into  the  hide  bro- 
kerage business.     He  died  Oct.  14th,  1890. 

HENRY  T.  McCLELLAN 
Was  in  his  day  a  well  known  leather  merchant.  He 
came  from  Waterville,  Me.,  and  was  a  student  in 
Colby  University  there.  He  graduated  with  honor, 
and  delivered  the  valedictory  address.  In  1844  he 
entered  the  employ  of  Oilman  &  Smull,  aftenvards 
of  N.  Oilman  &  Son.  Then  he  engaged  in  business 
for  himself.  He  built  a  union  sole  leather  tannery 
at  Kregsville,  Pa.,  and  owned  an  interest  in  hem- 
lock tanneries.  He  accumulated  $250,000  in  leather 
dealing.  He  lost  it  all  and  before  he  died  was  a 
workman  in  the  tannery  he  built.  It  is  often  more 
difficult  to  keep  wealth  than  it  was  originally  to  ac- 
quire it. 

FELIX,  FOURNIER  &  KNOPF- 
This  firm  had  its  origin  in  1864,  when  Ernest 
Fournier,  father  of  Felix  Fournier,  started  a  leather 
business  in  Ferry  street.  This  was  the  result  of  con- 
siderable thought  on  his  part,  as  he  was  originally 
in  the  dry  goods  business  in  New  Orleans.  He 
visited  Paris  and  was  induced  by  the  then  largest 
manufacturer  of  patent  leather  to  take  a  few  dozens 


iS6  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP. 

to  the  United  States  and  try  to  take  orders.  He 
succeeded  so  well  that  on  the  strength  of  his  ready 
sales  he  ordered  several  cases,  which  were  sold  to 
one  firm.  Seeing  a  better  prospect  of  success  in 
starting  a  leather  trade  in  New  York  than  in  con- 
tinuing the  dry  goods  business  in  New  Orleans,  he 
soon  became  foremost  in  that  line,  introducing  also 
any  novelty  here  that  was  new  in  the  Parisian  mar- 
ket. His  firm  was  E.  Fournier  &  Co.,  and  E.  &  C. 
Fournier.  Charles  Fournier  was  his  nephew.  In 
1886  Felix  Fournier,  son  of  Ernest  Fournier,  with 
A.  E.  Konpf,  an  old  importer  and  leather  dealer, 
succeeded  to  the  business  which  has  since  been 
known  as  Felix  Fournier  &  Knopf.  Mr.  Fournier 
has  charge  in  Paris  and  they  have  branches  in  Bor- 
deaux, Berlin  and  Cannes  (Riveria).  Mr.  Knopf 
transacts  the  American  business.  They  export 
chrome  kid  and  upper  leather  and  import  calfskins, 
blacking,  buttons  and  other  shoe  goods. 

SCOFIELD  &  STEVENSON. 
In  1 841  Charles  A.  Scofield  began  currying 
leather  for  Joseph  B.  Hoyt  at  the  corner  of  Ferry 
and  Cliff  streets.  Walter  Stevenson  came  from 
Scotland  later  and  worked  in  the  same  shop.  After 
some  changes  they  formed  the  firm  of  Scofield  & 
Stevenson  in  1863.  They  took  the  store  No.  4  Ja- 
cob street.  They  afterwards  bought  this  store  for 
$9,600.  In  1888  they  dissolved.  Mr.  Scofield  re- 
tired. Walter  Stevenson  bought  his  partner's  in- 
terest at  No.  4  Jacob  street,  added  a  story  in  height 


SCOFIELD  &  STEVENSON.  157 

and  continues  the  business.  The  firms  never  gave 
a  note.  Both  partners  were  conservative,  careful, 
honest  men,  and  both  made  a  fortune. 

JOSIAH    T.   TUBBY. 

Valentine  H.  Seaman  in  1865  formed  the  firm  of 
Sherwood,  Seaman  &  Tubby.  Mr.  Sherwood  left 
and  the  house  of  Seaman  &  Tubby  succeeded.  In 
1875  this  dissolved  and  Mr.  Seaman  continued 
alone  for  several  years.  Josiah  T.  Tubby  com- 
menced in  the  Swamp  as  a  bookkeeper  with  Bul- 
lard  &  Co  in  Ferry  street.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
firms  of  Sherwood,  Seaman  &  Tubby  and  Seaman 
&  Tubby,  but  in  1880  made  a  connection  with  Ben- 
jamin D.  Hicks,  the  latter  becoming  special  part- 
ner with  him,  and  tanned  union  sole  at  the  Nichol- 
son and  Wyoming  tanneries.  These  were  merged 
in  the  United  States  Leather  Company  in  1893  and 
Mr.  Tubby  became  secretary  of  that  organization. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  an  ex- 
cellent gentleman  and  an  upright,  honorable  mer- 
chant. 

THE  HIDE  AND  LEATHER  CLUB 

Was  organized  in  October,  1878.  Charles  H.  Is- 
ham  was  the  first  president.  Other  prominent 
Swampers  were  presidents  later.  It  was  a  social 
dining  club.  The  initiation  was  $50;  dues  $40  per 
annum.  The  club  rooms  were  at  the  northeast 
corner  of  Ferry  and  Gold  streets,  in  the  building 
owned  by  Aaron   Healy.     When  these   premises 


158  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP. 

were  torn  down  to  build  the  "Healy  Building"  in 
1890,  the  club  moved  to  the  corner  of  Gold  and 
Spruce  streets. 

This  club  was  dissolved  about  1893-4.  They  had 
entertained  Generals  Grant  and  Sherman  and  many 
prominent  men.  The  "Round  Table"  was  made 
famous  by  the  wit  of  Palen,  the  sententious  utter- 
ances of  Bailey,  and  every  foreign  leather  dealer 
who  visited  New  York  has  a  place  at  the  board. 

BARNES  &  MERRITT- 

Theodore  M.  Barnes  was  born  in  New  York. 
His  father  was  a  merchant ;  his  grandfather,  an  offi- 
cer in  the  Revolution.  Mr.  Barnes  came  into  the 
Swamp  in  1859,  ^^^  ^^^^^^  Thomas  Clarendon, 
formed  the  firm  of  Barnes  &  Clarendon.  They  be- 
gan in  the  little  store,  83  Gold  street,  corner  of 
Spruce  street.  Then  they  went  to  82  Gold  street, 
and  Oliver  K.  Lapham  was  a  partner.  The  firm 
was  Barnes,  Clarendon  &  Lapham,  until  1864,  when 
Mr.  Barnes  left  it  and  formed  the  firm  of  Barnes  & 
Merritt,  sole  leather  tanners.  He  built  the  store 
57  Frankfort  street.  T.  M.  Barnes  died  Dec.  18, 
1898. 

Richard  S.  Merritt  had  an  honorable  career  in 
the  swamp.  He  came  there  a  young  man  and  be- 
came a  clerk  for  Samuel  T.  Keese.  This  firm  af- 
terwards became  Ely  &  Keese  (Smith  Ely,  Jr.),  and 
Mr.  Merritt  continued  with  them.  In  1864  he  joined 
with  T.  M.  Barnes  and  formed  the  firm  of  Barnes  & 
Merritt.     They  were  connected  with  some  of  Jona- 


BARNES    &   MERRITT.  iS9 

than  Thome's  sons.  Barnes  &  Merritt  sold  out  their 
tanneries  to  the  United  States  Leather  Company  in 
1893  and  Mr.  Merritt  was  Auditor  and  Transfer 
Agent  for  the  company  until  he  died,  Sept.  24th, 
1895.     He  was  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends. 

BARUCH  WERTHEIM, 

Senior  of  the  firm  of  B.  Wertheim  &  Son,  hide 
dealers,  was  born  in  Wehrda,  Germany,  and  came 
to  this  country  in  1855.  He  went  into  the  hide 
business  and  traveled  through  New  York  and 
neighboring  States  for  some  years  picking  up  hides, 
which  he  sold  in  the  New  York  market.  He  made 
a  success  of  the  business  from  the  start  and  soon 
established  himself  in  New  York,  where  he  has 
since  remained. 

Shortly  after  the  war  Mr.  Wertheim  made  an  ar- 
rangement with  J,  B.  Hoyt  &  Co.,  afterward 
Fayerweather  &  Ladew,  where  they  took  all  the 
hides  salted  in  New  York  City.  Mr.  Wertheim 
selected  the  spready  and  light  ones,  such  as 
were  not  suited  for  sole  and  belting.  These  he 
sold  to  Newark  tanners.  This  arrangement  con- 
tinued for  twenty  years,  and  although  there  was 
never  a  written  agreement,  the  most  amicable  rela- 
tions always  existed. 

In  1881  Solomon  Wertheim  went  into  his  father's 
store  and  in  1886  was  admitted  as  a  partner.  The 
business  was  greatly  enlarged,  and  an  export  and 
import  department  was  added.. 


i6o  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP. 

The  senior  left  the  business  management  mainly 
in  the  hands  of  his  son.  The  house  he  founded  has 
grown  to  be  a  leading  firm  in  the  hide  trade.  Mr. 
Wertheim  was  a  modest,  unobtrusive  man.  His 
philanthrophy  was  of  a  high  order.  He  contributed 
to  nearly  all  the  leading  charities  in  the  city  and  he 
gave  liberally  from  his  ample  fortune. 

Mr.  Wertheim  died,  much  respected  and  la- 
mented by  all  who  knew  him,  February  22d,  1901, 
aged  74  years. 

JOSEPH  HECHT  &  SONS. 

This  firm  was  founded  by  the  senior  partner  in 
1865.  He  commenced  in  a  very  small  way  as  a 
gatherer  of  calfskins  from  the  butchers.  These  he 
salted  and  sold  to  tanners.  His  business  prospered. 
He  was  honorable  in  his  dealings,  true  to  his  word, 
and  soon  he  controlled  the  calfskin  trade  of  New 
York.  His  sons,  Myer  and  Aaron  Hecht,  grew  up 
in  the  business  and  were  taken  as  partners  when 
they  came  to  be  twenty-one  years  of  age.  They 
were  progressive  and  soon  added  hides  to  the  mer- 
chandise they  dealt  in.  They  traded  in  all  the  marts- 
in  this  country  and  then  extended  their  operations 
to  Europe.  They  also  imported  the  products  of 
South  America.  The  firm  occupied  stores  92  to  98 
Qiff  street,  owned  by  them.  In  1899  Joseph  Hecht 
retired,  and  his  sons  merged  the  business  in  the 
American  Hide  and  Leather  Company,  who  took 
their  stores  for  headquarters.  Aaron  Hecht  is  a 
vice-president  of  the  great  company. 


JOSEPH  MUSLINER.  i6i 

JOSEPH   MUSLINER, 

Who  died  in  February,  1887,  was  engaged  in  the 
business  of  buying  and  selling  leather  forty  years. 
He  was  a  Hebrew,  a  man  of  great  integrity,  very 
charitable,  universally  respected,  and  an  honest  and 
honorable  merchant.  Mr.  Musliner  had  a  store  in 
the  Swamp  and  another  in  Houston  street.  His 
two  sons,  Moses  and  Isam  Musliner,  and  son-in- 
law,  Isaiah  Friesner,  succeeded  to  the  business. 

J.  H-  ROSSBACH  &  BRO. 

This  firm  was  founded  by  Joseph  H.  Rossbach, 
one  of  the  pioneers  in  exporting  American  leather 
to  Germany.  He  began  the  business  in  1867  and 
took  his  brothers,  Jacob  and  Leopold  Rossbach,  as 
partners.  Joseph  H.  Rossbach  died  in  Germany, 
January  6,  1887,  and  his  brothers  continue  the  busi- 
ness. They  became  hide  importers  and  were  in 
the  Buenos  Ayres  trade.  They  also  exported  and 
imported  to  and  from  Europe.  Then  Jacob  Ross- 
bach went  to  Brazil  and  established  houses  in  sev- 
eral cities.  There  were  very  few  Brazil  hides  re- 
ceived direct  before  J.  H.  Rossbach  &  Bros,  en- 
gaged in  the  trade.  They  are  energetic,  honorable 
men,  who  have  opened  up  new  avenues  of  com- 
merce and  profited  thereby. 

B.  FRANK  &  SONS- 

Betta  Frank  is  the  only  woman  in  the  leather 
trade  in  the  Swamp.  She  was  left  a  widow  in  1875 
with  seven  children.     She  opened  a  findings  store 


i62  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP. 

at  1975  Third  avenue.  Her  oldest  sons,  Henry  and 
Max  Frank,  were  some  help  to  her.  M.  Hess- 
berg,  a  leather  dealer  of  Richmond,  Va.,  well 
known  in  the  Swamp,  was  her  brother.  Henry 
Frank  went  to  Richmond  to  learn  the  leather  busi- 
ness, and  he  and  his  brother  were  afterwards  taken 
in  as  partners.  In  1887  they  removed  to  71  Gold 
street  and  in  1894  to  No.  40  Spruce  street.  They 
own  the  Michigan  Leather  Company  at  Detroit. 
The  sons  transact  the  business.  They  have  been 
successful  and  are  a  credit  to  their  mother  who  edu- 
cated them  to  be  merchants. 

SALOMON  &  PHILLIPS 
Began  in  the  Swamp  in  1867  as  jobbers  of  leather. 
They  gradually  developed  an  importing  and  manu- 
facturing business.  In  1890  they  founded  the 
Armstrong  Leather  Company  at  Peabody,  Mass., 
which  has  grown  to  be  a  large  and  successful  con- 
cern. In  Newark  they  run  a  plant  making  alligator 
and  other  leather.  They  have  made  a  specialty  of 
very  fine  goods  and  they  import  novelties  in  shoe 
goods  from  Europe.  They  also  export  fine  leather 
to  Europe,  thus  making  that  country  tributary  to 
ours  for  the  highest  grades  of  stock  used  there  for 
shoes  and  leather  goods.  They  have  a  store  in 
Boston  as  well  as  New  York.  B.  J.  Salomon,  S.  P. 
Mendel  and  Edward  M.  Salomon,  son  of  the  senior 
partner,  compose  the  firm.  They  are  high-toned 
honorable  men.  S.  P.  Mendel  is  a  director  in  the 
Hide  and  Leather  Bank  and  a  member  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce. 


FRANK  FIORA.  163 

Frank  Fiora  was  a  well  known  figure  in  the 
Swamp.  His  father,  James  Fiora,  was  a  book- 
binder in  Fulton  street.  He  took  to  England  the 
first  lot  of  hemlock  leather  exported  to  that  coun- 
try. He  had  hard  work  selling  it,  and  as  hard  a 
time  in  delivering  it.  The  buyers  insisted  on  havinf; 
it  sent  to  their  warehouses  in  the  night  so  that  their 
customers  would  not  know  that  they  used  the  "red 
sides."  Zadock  Pratt  in  1845  asked  President  Polk 
to  make  James  Fiora  Consul  to  Manchester,  Eng- 
land, and  he  held  that  office  many  years.  He  died 
in  Manchester  in  1886,  aged  82  years.  He  was  a 
native  of  Genoa,  Italy.  Frank  Fiora  grew  up  in 
New  York  and  bought  and  sold  hides  and  was  asso- 
ciated with  his  father  in  the  English  trade.  He  was 
a  very  large  man,  weighing  fully  300  pounds.  His 
clothes  were  of  English  make  and  he  made  rather  a 
stunning  appearance  in  the  street.  In  summer  he 
would  wear  a  white  duck  suit  and  low  cut  patent 
leather  shoes.  In  this  rig  he  would  go  into  the 
hide  cellers,  simply  turning  up  his  trousers.  He 
made  some  unfortunate  deals  and  lost  all  his 
money.  His  friends  in  the  Swamp  raised  quite  a 
large  sum  of  money  for  him.  His  pride  would  not 
allow  him,  to  accept  it.  He  went  to  Texas  to  deal  in 
hides  but  had  remained  there  only  a  short  time 
when  Fayerweather  &  Ladew  sent  him  to  Eng- 
land to  buy  Anglo-American  hides  for  them,  and  he 
died  there. 

Jay  Gould  had  an  office  in  Gold,  and  afterwards 
in  Spruce  street  in  1862  as  an  agent  for  the  "New 


i64  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP. 

Jersey  Patent  Tanning  Co.,"  of  Newark.     He  had 
a  process  for  quick  tanning. 

THE  COSTELLOS. 

P.  H,  Costello,  who  died  December  17th,  1890, 
was  in  the  tanning  business.  With  his  brother,  P. 
C.  Costello,  he  built  the  Camden  Tannery,  noted  for 
good  sole  leather.  They  also  founded  the  town  of 
Costello,  Pa.,  and  tanned  there.  Mr.  Costello  was 
a  liberal,  generous  man  who  had  many  friends. 
Alfred  C.  and  John  H.  Costello,  his  sons,  were  also 
his  partners.  At  one  time  the  Costellos  were  of 
Lapham,  Costello  &  Co.  In  1893  the  Camden  and 
Costello  yards  were  merged  in  the  United  States 
Leather  Company.  P.  H.  Costello  was  a  Member 
of  Assembly  in  1873  and  Presidential  Elector  in 
1880.  From  a  very  humble  beginning  he  gained  a 
high  position  by  skill  and  integrity. 

HENRY  G-  ELY 
Came  to  New  York  and  into  the  Swamp  in  1859. 
His  father.  Homer  Ely,  and  uncle,  Cotton  Ely,  had 
been  tanners  at  Ashleyville,  Mass.,  for  more  than 
half  a  century.  H.  G.  Ely  began  business  alone, 
then  as  Ely  &  Lane  and  H.  G.  Ely  &  Sanger. 
Samuel  P.  Pope  was  a  partner.  He  was  a  bright, 
smart  salesman,  but  died  in  early  manhood.  In 
1876  H.  G.  Ely  &  Co.  was  the  style.  J.  B.  Hoyt 
&  Co.  were  special  partners  for  several  years.  Mr. 
Ely's  son,  Leicester  K.  Ely,  was  a  partner.  Henry 
G.  Ely  was  a  member  and  officer  in  Henry  Ward 
Beecher's  church.    He  died  in  1877. 


J.  PASKUSZ  &  SON.  i6s 

J.  PASKUSZ  &  SON. 

The  founder  of  this  firm  came  from  Germany  in 
1866.  He  began  currying  calf  and  harness  leather 
on  the  Bowery  in  a  shop  next  to  the  Windsor 
Theatre.  Then  he  went  to  Fifty-second  street,  and 
in  1868  located  at  the  corner  of  Seventy-sixth 
street  and  Central  Park  West.  This  is  now  a  very 
fashionable  neighborhood,  but  at  that  time  there 
was  not  a  building'  within  six  blocks.  There  was 
a  pond  there,  and  Mr.  Paskusz  used  to  shoot  musk- 
rats  in  it.  As  the  business  grew  and  customers 
were  down  town,  he  removed  to  Beekman  street. 
In  1897  his  son,  Gasa  Paskusz,  was  taken  into  the 
firm  as  J-  Paskusz  &  Son.  They  took  the  store 
corner  of  Gold  and  Frankfort  streets  and  have  a 
factory  at  Newark. 

THOMAS  C-  SPEERS. 

Was  a  captain  in  the  New  Jersey  Cavalry  Regiment 
during  the  war  and  went  into  the  leather  business 
at  its  close.  He  was  a  partner  with  T.  L.  SmuU  & 
Co.,  and  in  1878  went  with  George  Palen  &  Co. 
as  hide  buyer.  He  was  a  Fire  Commissioner  of 
Jersey  City.  He  was  killed  while  visiting  the 
Waverly  Tannery  by  a  runaway  team,  July  9th, 
1881.  Renwick  W.  Speers,  hide  buyer  of  the 
United  States  Leather  Company,  is  a  younger 
brother. 

Austin  IMelvin  Knight  came  into  the  Swamp  in 
1852  as  bookkeeper  for  Austin  Melvin,  who  was  his 
uncle.     Shepherd  Knapp  was  his  cousin.     In  i860 


i66  HISTORY  OF  THE  SWAMP. 

in  company  with  Addison  L.  Knapp,  he  engaged  in 
the  leather  business  and  afterwards  began  deaUng 
in  oil.  The  firm  of  Knight  &  Knapp  were  pioneers 
in  making  a  specialty  of  tanning  oil.  A.  L.  Knight 
and  Alden  S.  Swan  were  clerks  and  afterwards  part- 
ners. Mr.  Swan  was  more  or  less  prominent  in 
politics  and  was  one  of  the  first  trustees  of  the 
Brooklyn  Bridge.  He  did  business  in  Ferry  street, 
but  is  now  of  the  Swan  &  Finch  Co.,  Maiden  Lane. 
A.  M.  Knight  and  his  brother  located  at  83  Gold 
street.  A.  L.  Knight  owns  the  building  now,  but 
after  the  death  of  his  brother  he  moved  to  1 1  Ferry 
street,  where  he  continued  the  oil  business  in  his 
own  name. 

Simeon  M.  Gallup  was  born  in  Gallupville,  N. 
Y.,  where  his  father  was  a  tanner.  He  came  to  New 
York  in  1837  as  a  clerk  for  Ogden  E.  Edwards. 
In  1840  he  took  charge  of  the  Shandaken  tannery 
for  George  Palen.  In  1855  he  returned  to  New 
York  as  assistant  to  Wm.  B.  Isham>.  From  i860  to 
1882  he  was  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Wm.  B.  Isham 
&  Gallup.    He  retired,  and  died  April  13,  1883. 

LORING  ANDREWS,  REAL  ESTATE. 

On  June  3,  1884,  the  Swamp  property  of  Loring 
Andrews  was  sold  at  auction  to  settle  the  estate. 
The  prices  were : 

The  five-story  brick  store.  No.  26  Spruce  street, 
to  Daniel  Lord  for  $36,100;  the  five-story  brown- 
stone  front  store,  No.  32  Spruce  street,  for  $45,000; 
the    five-story    brownstone    store,  No.  34    Spruce 


LORING  ANDREWS.  167 

street,  for  $45,850,  both  to  Adolf  Scheftel;  the  five- 
story  brownstone  store,  No.  36  Spruce  street,  to 
Charles  and  Felix  Fournier  for  $41,650;  the  five- 
story  brownstone  store,  No.  38  Spruce  street,  to 
Anton  Filers,  of  Filers  &  Movius  Leather  Co.,  for 
$42,000;  the  six-story  brick  store.  No.  40  Spruce 
street,  to  Alfred  J.  Taylor  for  $40,300 ;  the  five-stor}* 
brick  store.  No.  42  Spruce  street,  to  Constant  A. 
Andrews  for  $36,000 ;  the  five-story  marble-front 
store.  No.  174  William  street,  to  C.  P.  Buckley  for 
$44,600 ;  Nos.  63  and  65  Clifif  street,  to  Charles  S. 
Brown  for  $42,600;  the  five-story  brick  store.  No. 
61  Clifif  street,  to  F.  G.  Hilton  for  $38,000 ;  the  five- 
story  brick  store,  Nos.  ^2  and  74  Gold  street,  to 
Simon  Sternberger  for  $80,050.  Most  of  these 
buildings  were  erected  by  Mr.  Andrews  during  his 
lifetime. 

A  MILITARY  TANNER. 

Colonel  Fliakin  Sherril  was  a  tanner  at  Shanda- 
kin  and  connected  with  some  firms  in  the  Swamp 
where  he  had  special  capital.  In  1847-8  he  was 
a  Representative  to  Congress  at  Washington.  In 
1862  he  raised  the  126th  Regiment  New  York 
Volunteers.  He  was  wounded  at  Harper's  Ferry, 
but  rejoined  his  regiment,  and  wliile  leading  the 
Second  Army  Corps,  July  3d,  1863,  at  Gettysburg, 
was  wounded  and  died  next  day.  His  associates 
in  the  Swamp  met  and  passed  resolutions  of  con- 
dolence, which  were  transmitted  to  his  family. 


i68  HISTORY  OF  THE  SWAMP. 

THE  ELY  FAMILY- 

Epaphres  C.  Ely  was  born  in  New  York,  di- 
rectly in  the  rear  of  Trinity  Church,  where  his 
father  and  family  had  resided  many  years.  He 
learned  the  tanning  trade  with  a  brother  in  Orange 
County.  This  brother  was  drafted  in  the  war  of 
1 812,  and  as  his  family  would  suffer  by  his  absence, 
Epaphres  C.  Ely,  then  an  apprentice,  went  as  his 
substitute  and  was  stationed  at  Staten  Island.  The 
family  hold  a  land  warrant  issued  for  his  military 
service.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  built,  in  con- 
nection with  his  brother,  a  tannery  twelve  miles 
back  of  Kingston.  In  1819  he  went  west  on  a 
trading  trip,  taking  a  quantity  of  shoes  and  leather. 
He  journeyed  to  Pittsburg  on  horseback  and 
guided  his  teams.  He  then  took  a  flat  boat  to  Cin- 
cinnati and  Louisville,  trading  on  the  way.  He 
made  several  trips  of  this  kind.  In  1835  he  formed 
the  firm  of  Ring  &  Ely  on  Ferry  street,  New  York. 
This  dissolved  in  1841.  Mr.  Ely  took  a  diploma  in 
1846  for  tanned  oak  sole  leather.  He  continued 
alone  until  1851,  when  he  retired.  He  died  at  Liv- 
ingston, N.  J.,  in  1864. 

Ambrose  K.  Ely,  oldest  son  of  E.  C.  Ely,  has 
been  for  many  years  a  merchant  in  the  Swamp. 
He  was  a  clerk  and  member  of  the  firm  of  Thorne, 
Watson,  Corse  &  Co.  In  1852  he  left  that  firm  and 
did  a  leather  business  alone  until  1876,  when  he 
discontinued  and  sold  much  of  his  leather  at  good 
prices  in  the  autumn  of  that  year.  He  had  several 
thousand  sides  left  which  he  kept  and  sold  during 


HON.   SMITH    ELY. 

MAYOR  OF  NEW  YORK. 

1877-8. 


THE  ELY  FAMILY.  169 

tlie  "boom"  of  1879.  He  was  very  successful  in 
his  tanning  operations.  Since  1880  he  has  not  dealt 
in  leather,  but  has  attended  to  his  real  estate  and 
trust  interests.  He  was  executor  and  trustee  for 
Israel  Corse  and  for  John  Watson  and  has  man- 
aged these  great  estates  with  ability  and  care.  He 
owns  the  large  block  corner  of  Gold  and  Frank- 
fort streets  and  much  other  city  property. 

Smith  Ely  was  a  Swamp  merchant  and  brother 
of  Ambrose  K.  Ely.  He  was  a  member  success- 
ively of  the  firms  of  Mattison  &  Ely,  Ely  &  Keese, 
and  Ely,  Vanderpoel  &  Kitchell.  He  retired  from 
active  business  in  1877,  at  which  time  he  was 
elected  Mayor  of  New  York.  His  political  record 
was  good.  He  diminished  the  net  debt  of  the  city 
and  also  the  expenditures  each  of  the  two  years  ot 
his  term.  No  other  mayor  shows  such  a  record. 
He  married  700  couples  during  his  two  years  01 
office.  Both  these  brothers  are  living  and  they 
have  always  stood  high  as  upright  and  honorable 
merchants.  A.  K.  Ely  was  never  married,  neither 
was  Smith  Ely,  notwithstanding  the  great  num- 
ber of  couples  he  ''made  happy"  during  his  terms 
as  mayor. 

Smith  Ely's  political  record  was  of  the  highest 
character.  He  has  always  been  a  Democrat.  Tn 
1857  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  by  a  large 
majority — the  first  Democrat  ever  elected  in  his 
district.  In  i860  he  was  on  the  Board  of  County 
Supervisors.  In  1870  he  was  elected  a  representa- 
tive to  the  Forty- second  Congress  and  was  placed 


170  ■  HISTORY  OF  THE  SWAMP. 

by  Speaker  Blaine  on  important  committees.  In 
1874  he  was  re-elected.  Two  years  after  he  was 
elected  Mayor  of  Nw  York  by  55,000  majority  over 
General  John  A.  Dix.  Mr.  Ely  was  one  of  the 
Commissioners  who  constructed  the  Brooklyn 
Bridge  and  acted  as  Commissioner  of  Public  Parks 
from  1895  to  1898. 

LORING  ANDREWS. 

A  well-known  leather  magnate  was  Loring  An- 
drews. He  learned  tanning  with  George  Robert- 
son at  Windham,  N.  Y.,  and  then  began  business 
on  his  own  account.  He  accumulated  $7,000  and 
in  1829  came  to  New  York.  He  started  in  busi- 
ness in  the  building  known  as  ''Jacob's  Well,"  No. 
8  Jacob  street.  The  firm  was  Andrews  &  Wilson, 
with  Gideon  Lee  special  for  $10,000.  He  was  suc- 
cessful for  a  time,  but  in  the  panic  of  1837  the  firm 
lost  all  they  had.  Mr.  Andrews  commenced  again 
on  borrowed  capital  and  ten  years  afterwards  paid 
his  old  indebtedness.  In  i860  Mr.  Andrews  was 
in  difficulties  again.  He  had  his  capita!  locked  up 
in  sole  leather  and  there  was  no  sale  for  it.  His 
mind  was  so  depressed  at  that  time  that  his  family 
feared  for  his  health.  They  consulted  Shepherd 
Knapp,  president  of  the  Mechanics'  Bank.  He 
went  to  Mr.  Andrews  and  proposed  to  him  to  hy- 
pothecate his  leather  to  the  bank  for  a  loan.  This 
was  at  first  refused,  but  Mr.  Knapp  told  him  of  a 
precisely  similar  transaction  made  by  Gideon  Lee 
^  Co  a  quarter  of  a  century  or  so  before,  and  he 


LORING  ANDREWS.  171 

consented.  The  leather  was  put  in  charge  of  the 
bank  and  a  loan  of  $100,000  made  on  it.  Very  soon 
the  war  broke  out  and  leather  advanced.  Then 
Mr.  Andrews  put  every  dollar  he  could  raise  into 
hides  and  stocked  eight  large  tanneries.  The  ad- 
vance in  leather  made  him  a  very  rich  man. 

In  1855  a  young  man  from  the  north  of  Ireland, 
named  Charles  Gibbons,  w-as  hired  by  Mr.  An- 
drews as  a  porter  to  roll  up  leather.  He  soon  be- 
came a  salesman,  and  in  1857  was  admitted  as  part- 
ner, the  firm  being  Loring  Andrews  &  Co.,  ^2  Gold 
street.  This  partnership  expired  by  limitation  and 
Mr.  Gibbons  retired  from  the  firm  and  from  busi- 
ness in  May,  i860,  with  $250,000.  Mr.  Andrews 
then  took  his  son,  Wm.  L.  Andrews,  and  later  an- 
other son.  Constant  A.  Andrews,  as  partners.  Soon 
after  his  death,  whufli  occurred  January  22d,  1875, 
at  the  age  of  78  years,  the  business  was  discon- 
tinued. In  1850  Mr.  Andrews  bought  the  lots  on 
the  south  side  of  Spruce  street,  below  William,  all 
but  the  two  corners,  and  built  nine  stores,  which 
cost  about  $18,000  each.  He  also  bought  the  lana 
and  built  the  fine  block  on  the  northwest  corner 
of  Beekman  and  Clifif  streets,  and  he  owned  other 
property  in  the  Swamp  and  vicinity.  He  had  n 
daughter  who  married  a  German  prince  who  was 
Chamberlain  to  the  King  of  Bavaria.  His  sons 
left  the  trade  in  1876  and  were  for  some  time  en- 
gaged in  settling  up  their  father's  estate,  which 
was  valued  at  more  than  $5,000,000. 


172  HISTORY   OF  THE  SWAMP. 

Mr.  Andrews  gave  away  much  in  charity.  He 
built  and  maintained  a  church  on  the  East  Side,  in 
a  destitute  neighborhood.  He  advanced  more 
than  a  hunderd  thousand  dollars  to  help  lay  the 
Atlantic  cable,  when  it  was  regarded  as  a  visionary 
project.  He  made  a  gift  of  $100,000  to  the  New 
York  University  in  ic 


THE  HOOPLE  FAMILY. 

The  founder  of  this  family  of  leather  dealers, 
William  H.  Hoople,  was  born  in  Canada.  His 
mother  was  captured  by  Indians  at  the  Wyoming 
Massacre,  where  she  saw  her  father  and  mother 
tomahawked.  She  was  taken  to  Canada  a  captive 
and  there  she  married  William  Hoople.  Two  ol 
her  sons  were  officers  in  the  English  Navy.  The 
youngest  son,  William  H.  Hoople,  came  to  New 
York  and  was  apprenticed  to  a  currier  on  Long 
Island.  He  worked  hard.  One  night  his  employer 
saw  a  light  in  the  shop  and  said :  "William,  what 
light  is  that  I  see  in  the  shop  every  night?"  'T  am 
working  overtime,  sir,  and  earn  about  half  a  dollar 
every  evening,"  said  the  boy.  "Ah,  William,"  said 
his  employer,  "You  will  find  that  those  who  make 
money  work  with  their  heads  and  not  with  their 
hands."  William  did  recollect,  and  in  1832  he 
came  to  New  York  and  went  in  the  leather  busi- 
ness. His  firm  was  Van  Nostrand  &  Hoople.  In 
1865  his  nephew,  William  G.  Hoople,  was  admitted. 
Later  Wm.  H.  Hoople  retired  from  business,  hav- 
ing amassed  a  fortune.     His  nephew  took  in  Lor- 


THE  HOOPLE   FAMILY.  i73 

ing  Andrews  Robertson  about  1870  as  partner. 
They  were  together  as  tanners  and  merchanrs  until 
Mr.  Robertson  died.  William  H.  Hoople  died  in 
June,  1895,  aged  90  years.  He  was  a  very  rich  and 
charitable  man.  He  gave  away  large  sums  in  his 
lifetime. 

William  G.  Hoople  left  the  leather  business,  but 
is  engaged  in  selling  tanning  materials  and  dyes. 
His  firm  is  Hoople  &  Androvette. 

William  Howard  Hoople,  a  grand  nephew  or 
Wm.  H.  Hoople,  manufactures  Goodyear  welting 
in  Ferry  street.  He  is  also  a  clergyman.  His 
father,  Wm.  G.  Hoople,  built  a  church  for  him  in 
Brooklyn.  It  is  called  the  Utica  Avenue  Taber- 
nacle. 

The  oldest  firm  in  the  leather  and  findings  busi- 
ness is 

MULFORD,  GARY  &  CONKLIN 

Who  celebrated  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  their  en- 
gagement in  business  on  May  ist,  1900.  The 
house  dates  at  least  ten  years  prior  to  that  at  which 
time  Jared  and  Merritt  Holt,  of  Albany,  did  busi- 
ness at  302  Pearl  street,  the  centre  of  the  leather 
trade.  The  Holts  sold  out  to  John  Buckley  and 
went  back  to  Albany,  where  they  were  well  known 
merchants  for  many  years. 

C.  W.  Gary  had  been  a  clerk  with  both  ihese 
firms.  In  1850  Mahlon  Mulford,  a  tanner,  came 
from  Elizabeth,  N,  J.,  and  joined  him  in  buying  out 
Mr.  Buckley  and  they  formed  the  firm  of  Mulford 


174  HISTORY   OF  THE   SWAMP. 

&  Gary.  C.  W.  Gary  withdrew  in  i85i.  B.  H. 
Gary,  his  younger  brother,  who  had  been  a  clerk 
with  the  house  since  1853,  became  a  partner  in 
1865.  Eugene  H.  Gonkhn  joined  them  in  1876 
and  the  present  firm  of  Mulford,  Gary  &  GonkUn 
was  formed.  They  took  a  position  at  the  head  ot 
the  trade.  They  had  been  in  the  findings  business, 
but  immediately  began  to  stock  tanneries  with 
skins  and  sell  the  product.  They  introduced  some 
of  the  best  brands  of  kid  and  calfskins  into  the 
trade.  Mr.  Mulford  died  at  Elizabeth,  N.  J.,  May 
i6th,  1877.  He  was  a  good  man  and  an  honorable 
merchant, 

THE  ERASERS- 

Thomas  Eraser  came  to  New  York  from  Scot- 
land in  1825.  He  brought  letters  to  William  Ke- 
van,  a  shoe  dealer  on  Pearl  street,  was  taken  into 
his  family,  and  married  his  daughter.  Wm.  P.  Mil- 
ler married  a  daughter.  Mr.  Eraser  went  into  busi- 
ness with  General  H.  A.  Sampson,  and  built  an 
upper  leather  tannery  in  Ulstter  Gounty.  On  the 
repeal  of  the  leather  duty  in  Great  Britain  in  1844 
they  sent  upper  leather  to  Scotland  for  a  market. 
The  shipments  were  over  40,000  sides.  This  was 
the  first  shipment  of  upper  leather  to  Europe. 
Thomas  Eraser  had  agents  in  St.  Louis  and  pro- 
cured the  first  Indian  Territory  and  other  dry  hides 
that  came  East.  J.  V.  Van  Woert  became  a  part- 
ner as  Van  Woert  &  Eraser  later.  In  1846  Mr. 
Eraser  withdrew  from  this  firm  and  did  business 
alone.     Jonathan  Thorne   contributed   $25,000  as 


THE  ERASERS.  I75 

special  partner.  James  Fraser,  a  younger  brother, 
had  come  from  Scotland  and  was  associated  with 
the  house.  There  were  three  Fraser  brothers, 
Andrew,  who  died  in  New  Orleans  in  1856; 
Thomas,  who  died  in  New  York  in  1863,  and 
Jarries  Fraser,  who  died  in  New  York,  December 
15th,  1897. 

When  Thomas  Fraser  died  the  firm's  style  was 
changed  to  Thomas  Fraser's  Brother  &  Co.  In 
1865  the  firm  of  Fraser,  Major  &:  Co.  was  formed. 
The  partners  were  James  Fraser,  William  Kevan 
Major,  a  nephew,  and  the  two  sons  of  Thomas  Fra- 
ser, William  A.  and  George  S.  Fraser.  They 
tanned  hemlock  sole  leather.  When  the  Uniteed 
States  Leather  Company  was  formed  in  1893  they 
were  stocking  the  Wilcox  tannery  and  when  their 
contract  with  Norman  Schultz  ran  out  they  gave 
up  the  business  of  producing  leather.  James  Fra- 
ser was  a  member  and  for  many  years  an  officer  of 
the  St.  Andrew's  Society  of  New  York ;  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Natural  History  and  of  the  Academy  ot 
Design.  He  was  an  elder  of  the  Fifth  Avenue 
Presbyterian  Church,  Rev.  Dr.  John  Hall,  and  a 
superintendent  of  its  Sunday  School  from  1872  to 
the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  a  man  of  unswerv- 
ing probity,  charitable,  and  his  religious  convic- 
tions were  intense  and  earnest. 

Jacob  Van  Wagenan  came  to  New  York  about 
1828,  and  in  1834  formed  a  partnership  with  Wil- 
liam Bullard.  He  withdrew  from  the  firm  of  Bul- 
lard  &  Co.  in  1865  and  with  John  S.  Tuttle  origi- 


176  HISTORY   OF  THE   SWAMP. 

nated  the  firm  of  Van  Wagencn  &  Tuttlc.  Mr. 
Tuttle  was  a  Schoharie  tanner.  He  died  some 
years  ago.  This  house  was  very  successfuL  They 
went  out  of  the  trade  about  fifteen  years  ago  with 
$350,000  to  the  credit  of  each  member.  Mr.  Van 
Wagenen  lost  some  of  his  fortune  through  specu- 
lations in  Wall  street.  He  and  his  partner  became 
involved  in  the  failure  of  Alonzo  Follett.  Mr.  Van 
Wagenan  died  April  29th,  1899,  aged  85  years. 

BANK  PRESIDENTS. 

The  services  of  members  of  the  trade  have  been 
in  demand  in  banking  circles.  Most  of  these  finan- 
cial institutions  have  shoe  and  leather  dealers 
among  their  directors.  In  New  York  there  were 
several  who  filled  the  position  of  president.  As 
early  as  1825  to  1830  Paul  Spofiford  was  president 
of  the  Bank  of  the  Commonwealth.  Thomas  Tiles- 
ton  of  the  Phoenix.  They  were  of  the  great  whole- 
sale shoe  house  of  Spofford  &  Tileston  in  Pearl 
near  Ferry  street.  Gideon  Lee  was  president  of 
the  Shoe  and  Leather  Manufacturers'  Bank  in 
1835.  Loring  Andrews  organized  the  Shoe  and 
Leather  Bank  and  was  president  for  a  time.  His 
successor  was  Andrew  V.  Stout,  of  Gale,  Stout  & 
Ward,  wholesale  shoes,  who  got  the  city  deposits 
for  it  from  Mayor  Fernando  Wood.  Jacob  Loril- 
lard  and  Shepherd  Knapp  presided  in  turn  over  the 
Mechanic's  Bank.  They  held  the  office  for  about 
fifty  years.  Matthew  Reed,  a  wholesale  shoe 
dealer,   was  president  of  the  Tradesman's  Bank. 


BANK  PRESIDENTS.  177 

He  was  afterwards  a  leather  inspector  in  the 
Swamp.  He  fel  down  a  hatchway  at  No.  8  Ferr}' 
street  and  wis  killed.  William  Miles,  of  Thomas 
Smull  &  Co.,  was  president  of  the  German  Spar 
Bank  in  Clinton  Hall.  Reuben  W.  Howes,  of 
Howes,  Hyatt  &  Co.,  shoes,  organized  the  Park 
Bank  and  was  its  first  president.  Other  presi- 
dents were  Alex.  H.  Studwell,  First  National;  Phi- 
neas  C.  Lounsbury,  also  ex-Governor  of  Connecti- 
cut, Merchants'  Exchange  National;  John  B. 
Woodward,  Third  National ;  John  Willets,  Leather 
Manufacturers' ;  Charles  B.  Fosdick,  Hide  and 
Leather.  Joseph  E.  Bulkley  was  a  vice-president 
of  the  Park  Bank ;  so  was  Oliver  Hoyt.  Mr.  Hoyt 
was  offered  the  presidency,  but  declined.  John 
Watson  was  vice-president  of  the  Bank  of  North 
America,  Frederic  Fawcett  of  the  Sixpenny  Sav- 
ings Bank.  Charles  A.  Schieren  and  Thomas  Keck 
are  vice-presidents  of  the  Hide  and  Leather  Bank. 

Shepherd  Knapp  and  Andrew  V.  Stout  have 
been  Comptrollers  (or  Treasurers)  of  New  York. 

Two  leather  dealers  have  been  Mayors  of  New 
York,  Gideon  Lee  and  Smith  Ely,  Jr. ;  two  of 
Brooklyn,  Jonathan  Trotter  (first  Mayor)  and 
Charles  A.  Schieren. 

JOHN  RANDOLPH'S  RETORT- 

Jacob  Lorillard  used  to  amuse  his  friends  with  an 
account  of  an  interview  he  had  with  John  Ran- 
dolph, of  Roanoke.  Mr.  Randolph  came  to  New 
York  preparatory  to  sailing  for  Russia.     He  had 


178  HISTORY  OF  THE  SWAMP. 

several  tliousand  dollars  in  Virginia  money  and 
wanted  to  exchange  it  at  the  Mechanics'  Bank  for 
English  money.  The  charge  for  the  transaction 
was  heavy  and  very  repugnant  to  Mr.  Randolph, 
who  thought  money  of  his  State  as  good  or  better 
than  any  other.  A  large  shave  was  taken  ofif,  how- 
ever, to  which  he  had  to  accede.  After  the  busi- 
ness was  concluded  Mr.  Lorillard  took  his  dis- 
tinguished visitor  through  the  Mechanics'  Bank, 
showing  him  the  directors'  room,  vaults,  etc.,  and 
when  about  to  take  leave  at  the  door  called  his  at- 
tention to  the  sign — a  mechanic's  arm  brandishing 
a  hammer.  "What  is  that  to  represent?"  said  Ran- 
dolph. "That/'  was  the  answer,  "is  the  insigna  of 
a  mechanic,  being  the  Mechanics'  Bank."  "And 
what  is  that  in  his  hand?"  "A  hammer,"  said  Mr. 
Lorillard,  "the  emblem  of  his  profession."  "Take 
it  out,"  said  Randolph,  in  his  shrillest  tones,  "Take 
it  out,  and  put  a  razor  there." 

KECH,  MOSSER  &  CO. 

This  firm,  formed  in  Allentown,  Pa.,  ahnost  half 
a  century  ago,  speedily  became  one  of  the  largest 
in  tanning  union  sole  leather  in  this  country. 
Thomas  Keck  and  D.  K.  Mosser  were  the  part- 
ners. They  established  a  store  in  New  York  for 
the  sale  of  their  leather  during  the  war,  and  in  Bos- 
ton later.  They  built  and  operated  many  tanneries 
and  as  they  made  a  superior  grade  of  leather  they 
commanded  a  large  trade  and  were  known  as 
among  the  most  oppulent  tanners  in  the  country. 


KECH,  MOSSER  &  CO.  179 

For  several  years  they  have  cut  the  leather  they 
tanned  into  soles.  Both  Mr.  Keck  and  Mr.  Mos- 
ser  have  sons  who  are  following  their  fathers*  pro- 
fession. 

JOHN  V-  VAN  WOERT 
Was  born  in  Cambridge,  N.  Y.,  in  1805,  and  when 
his  mother  died,  in  181 7,  went  to  live  with  his 
uncle,  Herman  Quackenbush,  who  owned  tannery 
property  at  Roxbury,  N.  Y.  The  firm  was 
Quackenbush,  Wynkoop  &  Co.,  and  here  he 
learned  the  trade.  In  1829  he  came  to  New  York 
to  represent  the  firm's  interests,  at  No.  31  Ferry 
street,  then  being  built,  and  put  up  his  sign  as  a 
merchant  handling  the  Ouackenbuseh  and  other 
leather.  Later  on  he  associated  himself  with 
Thomas  Fraser,  who  had  also  been  in  the  employ 
of  Quackenbush,  Wynkoop  Si  Co.  This  firm  was 
Van  Woert  &  Fraser.  When  they  dissolved,  after 
a  few  years,  Mr.  Van  Woert  did  business  alone. 
Then  James  McFarlane  became  a  partner,  but  re- 
tired in  1864,  when  Mr.  Van  Woert  tdmitted  his 
sons,  Francis  G.  and  John  V.  Van  Woert,  Jr.,  and 
resumed  the  firm  name  he  had  first  started  under, 
of  J.  V.  Van  W^oert  &  Co.  Later  James  B.  and 
William  Van  Woert  were  associated  with  the 
house.  In  1894  they  retired.  The  name  had  been 
over  the  door  of  36  Ferry  street  sixty-three  years 
and  the  firm  always  fulfilled  every  obligation.  One 
son,  Jacob  Van  Woert  is  living  at  Going,  N.  Y. 
The  firm  owned  many  tanneries  in  their  time  in 
New  York  and  Pennsylvania.  John  Y.  Yan  Woert 
died  January  24th,  1888,  aged  79  years. 


i8o  HISTORY  OF  THE  SWAMP. 

SHATTUCK  &  BINGER. 

This  firm  was  formed  in  1872,  succeeding  Shar- 
tuck  &  Wyckoff.  Mr.  Binger  had  been  connected 
with  S.  Mendelson,  a  calfskin  importer.  Shattuck 
&  Binger  were  the  pioneers  in  finishing  alhgator 
skins  for  bag  and  shoe  purposes  and  although  they 
had  many  difficulties  to  contend  with,  they  pro- 
duced beautiful  goods.  About  twenty  years  ago 
they  took  the  agency  for  Carl  Fricedenberg,  Wein- 
heim,  Germany,  for  wax  and  patent  calfskins.  They 
are  still  exclusive  importers  of  these  goods.  In 
1890,  with  partners  in  ChicagO;,  they  established 
the  Lambeau  Leather  Company.  Mr.  Binger  was 
president.  This  company  was  absorbed  by  the 
American  Hide  and  Leather  Company.  They  own 
a  tannery  in  Baltimore,  where  they  produce  oak 
calfskins.  They  have  built  up  an  export  trade  in 
leather  and  are  enterprising  and  still  looking  for 
additional  fields  for  conquest  in  the  leather  trade. 

E.  A.  Smith  &  Bro.  were  the  largest  manufac- 
turers of  their  time.  They  owned  the  property 
southeast  corner  of  Spruce  and  William  streets  and 
manufactured  in  Philadelphia.  They  retired  some 
years  ago,  but  Martin  V.  B.  Smith,  the  junior  part- 
ner, still  deals  in  kid  and  morocco. 

THE  UNITED  STATES  LEATHER  COMPANY- 

This  great  corporation  owes  its  existence  to  the 
efforts  of  a  few  leading  tanners  of  sole  leather,  who, 
tired  of  the  competition  in  their  business,  con- 
ceived and  carried  through  the  idea  of  incorpora- 


HON.    MARK    HOYT. 
SFXOND    PRKSIDENT   OF   UNITED   STATES  LEATHER  CO. 


THE  UNITED  STATES  LEATHER  COMPANY.  i8i 

ting  their  tanneries  and  running  them  in  a  partner- 
ship. It  is  hard  to  say  who  originated  the  idea,  but 
it  was  a  grand  and  comprehensive  one,  and  the 
most  intelHgent  and  largest  tanners  in  America 
labored  for  months,  and  indeed  years,  to  perfect 
and  materialize  it. 

The  company  was  incorporated  under  the  laws 
of  the  State  of  New  Jersey,  to  manufacture  and  sell 
"leather,  lumber  and  belting,"  and  to  own  the  nec- 
essary property  to  do  such  business.  The  incorpo- 
ration dates  from  Feb.  25th,  1893,  and  terminates 
Feb.  25th,  1943,  a  period  of  fifty  years. 

The  projectors  worked  daily  at  their  ofifice  in 
New  York  to  arrange  the  business  of  the  corpora- 
tion. Leather  in  tanneries  and  stores  had  to  be 
valued  on  an  equable  basis.  Bark  lands  were  sur- 
veyed, and  bark  piles  measured. 

By  a  certificate  of  increase  the  capital  stock  was 
raised  August  ist,  1895,  from  $120,000,000  to  $128,- 
000,000.  All  this  was  distributed  among  the  tan- 
ners in  the  corporation,  according  to  the  capacity  of 
theidr  plants,  in  preferred  and  common  stock.  An 
issue  of  $10,000,000  debenture  bonds,  bearing  in- 
terest at  the  rate  of  6  per  cent,  per  annum,  com- 
mand a  large  premium.  The  Central  Trust  Com- 
pany is  Trustee  and  Registrar  of  these  bonds. 

The  organization  commenced  business  with  more 
than  a  hundred  tanneries,  producing  hemlock, 
union  and  oak  leather.  Since  that  time  new  ones 
have  been  built,  old  ones  dismantled,  and  others 
greatly  improved  and  enlarged.    Of  the  proprietors 


i82  HISTORY  OP  THE  SWAMP. 

the  names  of  Proctor,  Rice,  Hoyt,  Horton,  Lap- 
ham,  Ladew,  Schultz,  Lee,  Costello,  Healy,  Bul- 
lant  and  other  prominent  tanners  were  in  the  list. 
Some  of  the  organizers  dropped  the  identity  of 
firms  that  had  tanned  leather  well  night  a  hundred 
years,  but  they  considered  it  a  wise  move,  and  that 
such  a  corporation  would  benefit  themselves  and 
th.eir  customers.  Besides  the  original  company 
there  is  the  Elk,  Union  and  Penn  Tanning  Compa- 
nies, members  of  the  corporation.  They  are  capi- 
talized at  $10,000,000  each. 

At  the  first  meeting  of  stockholders,  held  May 
1st,  1893,  Thomas  E.  Proctor  was  elected  presi- 
dent. He  died  in  office  December  7th,  1894.  James 
R.  Plum  was  selected  for  treasurer,  and  Josiah  T. 
Tubby  for  secretary.  They  have  been  re-elected 
each  succeeding  year.  Some  of  the  ablest  tanners 
and  leather  merchants  in  the  country  have  served 
regularly  on  the  board  of  directors.  The  manage- 
ment is  now  at  its  best,  the  expenses  are  small,  and 
the  stockholders  have  every  reason  to  be  satisfied 
with  the  returns  made  for  the  investment. 

The  stores  of  the  company  are  in  New  York,  at 
26  and  28  Ferry  street.  The  main  offices  are  here, 
and  also  several  warehouses  in  the  Swamp  which 
they  occupy. 

In  Boston,  204-210  Essex  street,  where  they 
have  a  new  building. 

Chicago,  corner  of  Randolph  and  Franklin 
streets,  in  a  central  position. 

Cincinnati,  810  and  812  Sycamore  sstreet,  where 
most  of  the  large  shoe  factories  are  located. 


THE  UNITED  STATES  LEATHER  COMPANY.  183 

The  first  president  of  the  United  States  Leather 
Company  was  Thomas  E.  Proctor,  of  Boston.  His 
father,  Abel  Proctor,  was  a  tanner  in  South  Dan- 
vers,  now  Peabody,  w^ho  opened  a  store  in  Boston 
about  1840.  Thomas  E.  Proctor  became  associated 
with  his  father  when  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age, 
and  for  many  years  the  house  flourished,  and  was 
known  in  all  the  hide  markets  of  the  world  as  Abel 
Proctor  &  Son.  They  built  and  occupied  a  large 
store  at  the  corner  of  High  and  Congress  streets  in 
i860.  In  1864  Thomas  E.  Proctor  succeeded  to 
the  business.  He  had  previously  tanned  brogan 
leather,  but  now  commenced  to  build  sole  leather 
tanneries  in  Pennsylvania,  and  eventually  owned 
several  of  them.  He  formed  the  Thomas  E.  Proc- 
tor Leather  Company,  which  in  1893  sold  out  to 
the  United  States  Leaather  Company.  Mr.  Proc- 
tor died  in  Boston,  December  7th,  1894,  aged  60 
years. 

Mark  Hoyt  succeeded  Mr.  Proctor  as  president. 
He  died  while  holding  the  office,  December  30th, 
1896. 

James  Horton,  who  had  been  vice-president 
since  the  formation  of  the  company,  succeeded  to 
the  presidency  on  Mr.  Hoyt's  death.  He  was 
elected  to  the  office  in  February,  1897,  and  has 
been  re-elected  each  year  since  that  time.  Under 
his  administration  th  company  has  prospered,  and 
twice  increased  its  regular  dividends.  The  annual 
statement  of  the  company  for  the  year  1900  was  as 
follows : 


i84  HISTORY   OF  THE   SWAMP. 

The  Board  of  Directors  of  the  United  States 
Leather  Company  submit  to  the  Stockholders  the 
annexed  statement  of  the  Company's  Assets  and 
Liabilities  as  of  December  31st,  1900,  and  based  on 
Inventory  of  that  date  : 

ASSETS. 

Cash    $2,140,132.77 

Due  by  customers   4,841,287.08 

Bills  receivable  47,494.71 

Doubtful  debtors,  valued  at 39,015.49 

Sundry  other  debtors  and  book  ac- 
counts     133,863.62 

Hides  and  leather  on  hand  and  in 

process  of  tanning 8,647,476.76 

Drawbacks  due 199,127.07 

Bark  at  tanneries 1,157,203.80 

Sundry  personal  property 161,424.76 

Advances  to  other  companies 13,725,399.20 

Tannery  plants  and  lands 7,005,872.30 

Stocks  of  other  companies 35,446,231.77 

Railroad  mortgage 100,000.00 

Treasury  stock    100,000.00 

Unexpired   insurance   policies 34,544.00 

$73,779,073-33 
Good  will  account  and  organization 
expenses 62,819,886.45 


$136,598,959-78 


THE  UNITED  STATES  LEATHER  COMPAXY.185 

LIABILITIES. 

Accrued  interest  $57,600.00 

Current  accounts    • 130,918.59 

Exchange  (not  due) 1,449,970.59 

Bonds $7,480,000.00 

Less   in  treasury.  .   2,200,000.00  5,280,000.00 


Preferred  stock 62,269.800.00 

Surplus — as  January  ist,  1901 4,540,870.60 


$73,729,159.78 
Common  stock   62,869,800.00 


$136,598,959.78 
On  behalf  of  the  Board  of  Directors, 

JosiAH  T.  Tubby,  Secretary, 

OFFICERS  OF  THE  COMPANY   FOR  1901. 

Directors — James  Horton,  Edward  R.  Ladew, 
James  R.  Plum,  Patrick  C.  Costello,  Jerry  Crary, 
Lewis  H.  Lapham,  Oscar  B.  Grant,  John  J.  Lap- 
ham,  Lyman  F.  Rhoads,  Gurdon  B.  Horton,  Sam- 
uel P.  Davidge,  Walter  G.  Garritt,  William  H. 
Humphrey,  C.  Sumner  Horton,  A.  Augustus 
Healy,  Charles  H.  Lee,  Daniel  T.  Stevens,  George 
W.  Childs,  Frank  H.  Goodyear,  Joseph  ,H.  Ladew, 
George  A.  Vail,  Edward  C.  Hoyt,  Loring  R.  Gale, 
James  H.  Proctor,  Edson  G.  Davidge,  Eugene 
Horton,  Tlieodore  R.  Hoyt. 

Tlie  board  of  directors  elected  the  following  offi- 
cers and  executive  committee : 


i86  HISTORY  OF  THE  SWAMP. 

President — James  Horton. 

First  Vice-President — O.  B.  Grant. 

Second  Vice-President — Lewis  H.  Lapham. 

Third  Vice-President — Edward  C.  Hoyt. 

Secretary — Josiah  T.  Tuby. 

Assistant  Secretary — Wm.  H.  Humphrey. 

Treasurer — James  R.  Plum. 

Assistant  Treasurer — Wm.  H.  Humphrey. 

Transfer  Agent — Harry  W.  Hill. 

Auditor — A,  J.  C.  Anderson. 

Executive  Committee — Oscar  B.  Grant,  Lewis 
H.  Lapham,  Walter  G.  Garritt;,  Edward  C.  Hoyt, 
James  Horton  (ex-officio). 

The  Central  Trust  Company  is  trustee  and  regis- 
ter of    the  bonds. 

A  list  of  the  oringinal  stockholders  and  their 
tanneries  is : 

N.  W.  Rice  &  Co.,  Boston,  Fine  Cilmax,  Glade 
Run. 

Thos  E.  Proctor  Co.,  Boston,  Oswegatchie, 
Wilna,  Greenwood,  Lycoming,  Ralston,  Penfield, 
Columbia,  Summit,  Falls  Creek,  Athens. 

Hoyt  Bros.,  New  York,  Hillgrove,  Delaware, 
Babcock,  Monroeville,  Couderport,  Limestone, 
Woodland. 

The  Horton  tanneries  of: 

Walter  Horton  &  Co.,  Sheffield. 

James  Horton  &  Co.,  Salamanca. 

Horton  &  Gurd,  Cowanesque  (Union). 

H.  H.  Crary  &  Co.,  Boston  Ideal  (LTnion). 


THE  UNITED  STATES  LEATHER  CO.        187 

Garrett  Davidge  Si  Co.,  Berkshire. 

Jas.  Davidge  &  Co.,  Horton. 

S.  B.  Davidge  &  Co.,  Forest,  Aroyo. 

S.  P.  Davidge,  Salmon. 

Horton,  Crary  &  Co.,  Tioneste. 

Schoellkopf,  Horton  &  Co.,  Star,  Tioga. 

John  McNair  &  Co.,  Leicester. 

Forest  Tanning  Co.,  Newark  Valley. 

G.  &  I.  Horton,  Torpedo. 

Horton,  Johnson  &  Co.,  New  Creek  (Oak), 

Dennison  Crary. 

Crary  Brothers. 

Grant  &  Horton,  Ridgway. 

Horton  &  Co. 

Horton,  Gildersleeve  &  Co.,  Watauga  (Oak). 

The  Horton,  Crary,  Davidge  firm. 

(Some  of  the  Horton  firms  were  made  up  for 
selling  the  product,  but  most  of  them  for  tanning 
the  leather.) 

Fayerweather  &  Ladew,  owned  by  Edward  R. 
and  Jos.  H.  Ladew,  New  York,  Flintstone  Tan- 
neries, seven  in  number  (Oak). 

H.  G.  Lapham  &  Co.,  L.  H.  Lapham  &  Co.,  J. 
J.  Lapham  &  Co.,  Geo.  A.  Vail  &  Co.,  New  York; 
Clarendon,  Barret,  Oswayo,  Windsor,  Sterling 
IXL,  Middleburg. 

Schultz,  Innes  &  Co.,  New  York ;  Scotia,  Bruce, 
Elmhurst,  Glen,  Caledonia,  Wallace,  (Union), 
Eagle  Valley  (Hemlock). 

J.  &  W.  Thorne,  New  York ;  Laportc,  Pa.,  tan- 
nery, mills  and  barklands. 


i88  HISTORY  OF  THE  SWAMP. 

Hall  &;  Vaughan,  New  York ;  Reynoldsville,  Ky. 
(Union). 

Hall  &  Vaughan,  Midcllctown  (Oak). 

Norman  Schultz,  Wilcox,  Pa. 

Scluiltz  &  Hoyt,  Instanter,  Pa.  (Union). 

W.  L,  Hamilton,  Emporium,  Pa.,  Campbell, 
N.  Y. 

D.  T.  Stevens  &  Son,  Stevensville,  N.  Y. 
Root  &  Keating,  Olean  and  Port  Alleghany. 
Lee  &  Co.,  Crogan  Valley  and  Cedar  Run. 
J.  F.  Schoellkopf  s  Sons,  Buffalo. 

A.  Rumsey  &  Co.,  Buffalo  City  and  Holland. 
J.  T.  Tubby,  Nicholson,  Wyoming  (Union). 
R.  H.  McCulloch,  Gaines. 

F.  H.  Rockwell  &  Co.,  Clarendon. 
P.  C.  Costello  &  Co.,  Camden. 
Alfred  Costello  &  Co.,  Costello. 

J.  W.  Hammond,  De  Bruce. 

E.  Pleintzelman,  Germania,  per  Barnett  &  Mer- 
ritt,  attorneys. 

Barnes  &  Merritt,  New  York. 
L.  W.  Morss. 

J.  V.  Van  Woert  &  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Union  &  Gregg. 
J.  A.  Bechtel  &  Son,  Newport,  Pa.  (Oak) 
Day,  Wilcox  &  Co.,  Boston,  Spragueville,  East 
Stroudsburg  (Union). 
A.  I.  Decker,  Union. 
A.  B.  Stratton,  Addison. 

G.  L.  Adams,  Oak  Valley. 
Sherwood,  Bullard  &  Co.,  Croghan. 

Bullard  &  Co.,  New  York;  Star,  Belfort,  Cas- 
torland. 


TPIE  UNITED  STATES  LEATHER  CO.      189 

A.  Healy  &  Sons^  New  York;  Genessee,  Cat- 
taraugus, Alleghany. 

W.  &  L.  Gale,  Penn  Creek. 

Willets  &  Co.,  Stoneham. 

Wellsboro  Leather  Company. 

Root  &  Keating,  Bu  Carr  and  Salamanca. 
C.  H.  Faxon  &  Son,  Chestertown. 

James  R.  Plum  &  Gale,  Prentice,  Wis. 

Wright,  Clark  &  Co.,  Olean  (Union). 

E.  S.  Esty  &  Son,  Ithaca,  Candor,  Cattahonk. 

Henry  Poor  &  Sons,  three  in  Maine. 

To  comply  with  the  laws  of  Pennsylvania  the 
properties  in  that  State  were  incorporated  as  the 
Elk  Tanning  Co.,  Union  Tanning  Co.,  and  Penn 
Tanning  Co.,  with  a  capital  of  $10,000,000  each. 

Some  of  the  above  mentioned  tanneries  have 
been  dismantled.  The  company  have  bought 
others  in  Wisconsin  and  the  West  for  tanning 
hemlock  sole,  and  in  Pennsylvania  and  the  South 
for  oak  sole.  In  addition  they  have  extract  works, 
oak  and  hemlock  bark  lands,  and  arc  prepared  to 
furnish  leather  for  the  world.  Their  tannage  is 
mostly  hemlock; 

The  plan  of  a  combination  of  upper  and  calfskin 
tanners  was  being  worked  up  for  about  a  year  and 
culminated  in  September,  1899,  in  the  formation 
of  the 

AMERICAN  HIDE  AND  LEATHER  CO- 

On  September  3d  all  the  property  of  the  concerns 
was  turned  over  to  the  official  representatives.    On 


iQo  HISTORY  OF  THE  SWAMP. 

Monday,  September  4th,  1899,  the  organization  be- 
gan business.  The  individual  concerns  filed  affida- 
vits as  to  stock  on  hand  September  nth.  These 
affidavits  were  subject  to  review  by  the  following, 
who  had  been  designated  to  act  as  appraisers  of 
merchandise. 

For  the  western  tanners :  W.  N.  Eisendrath,  F. 
L.  Roenitz  and  H.  Stresau. 

For  the  eastern  tanners :  C.  W.  Tidd,  Matthew 
Robson,  E.  L.  White,  E.  E.  Elms,  T.  S.  Haight, 
and  C.  P.  Hall. 

It  was  also  voted  by  the  tanners  to  "take  stock 
as  of  the  close  of  business,  September  2,  1899,  and 
return  the  same  to  company's  office,  No.  40  Wall 
street,  New  York,  on  or  before  September  11." 

The  bond  and  stock  certificates  were  engraved 
and  offered.  The  bonds  are  not  to  be  offered  to 
the  public  at  less  than  loi.  The  prospects  of  the 
stock  are  figured  out  as  follows : 

$8,000,000  bonds,  6  per  cent $480,000 

$12,000,000  preferred  stock,  7  per  cent.  .      840,000 

Fixed  annual  charges. . , $1,320,000 

Profits  on  annual  sales,  $24,000,000  (10 

per  cent.) 2,400,000 

Leaving  for  common  stock 1,080,000 

A  more  conservative  estimate  is  to  deduct  the 
fixed  cliarges — $1,320,000 — from  the  earnings  of 
the  various  companies  last  year — $1,710,000  — 
which  leaves  $390,000  for  the  common,  or  about  4 
per  cent. 


^  "       THE  UNITED  STATES  LEATHER  CO.      191 

It  will  be  noticed  that  tlic  earning  power  of  the 
common  shows  up  well  here,  even  when  none  of 
the  economies  of  concentration  have  been  intro- 
duced. 

It  is  not  the  intention  to  put  out  all  the  author- 
ized stock  at  present.  Probably  $12,000,000  each 
of  preferred  and  common  will  be  issued,  instead  of 
$17,500,000  of  each. 

The  earnings  of  the  various  companies  in  1898 
were  $1,710,000.  The  value  of  the  plants  and  ma- 
chinery, etc.,  is  reported  by  the  promoters  at 
$6,981,000,  exclusive  of  good  will,  or  about  $12,- 
500,000,  including  good  will.  The  value  of  mer- 
chandise on  baud  will  add  considerably  more.  The 
company  began  business  with  a  working  capital 
of  $3,000,000. 

A  meeting  of  the  incorporating  tanners  \\'as  held 
Monday,  September  18,  at  No.  40  Wall  street.  It 
was  expected  that  a  board  of  directors  and  officers 
would  be  elected  at  this  meeting.  This,  however, 
was  found  to  be  impossible,  because  the  respective 
interests  of  the  various  tanners  had  not  been  ascer- 
tained to  a  nicety.  The  meeting  was  therefore  de- 
voted to  an  adjustment  of  such  matters  and  to 
other  preliminary  arrangements. 

Tlie  property  of  the  following  concerns  has  been 
transferred  to  the  x^merican  Hide  and  Leather  Co. 

W.  N.  Eisendrath  Co.,  Chicago,  calf,  horse,  etc. 

Wm.  Becker  Leather  Co.,  Milwaukee,  grains. 

White  Bros.  &  Co.,  Boston,  calf. 

Buswell,  Hubbard  &  Co.,  Boston, 

Middlesex  Leather  Co.,  Boston,  grains. 


192  HISTORY   OF  THE   SWAMP. 

Alley  Bros.  &  Co.,  Boston,  satin  and  grains, 

Lambeau  Leather  Co.,  Chicago,  imit  Kang. 

Wm.  Tidcl  &  Co.,  Boston,  grain. 

Hall,  Haight  &  Co.,  New  York  and  Boston, 
grains  and  satin. 

Stephen  Dow  &  Co.;,  Boston,  buff  and  grain. 

Bernard  &  Friedman,  Boston,  calf. 

J.  P.  Crane  &  Co.,  Woburn,  splits. 

Watauga  Tanning  Co.,  Boston,  buff  and  grain. 

M.  Robson  Leather  Co.,  Salem,  wax  and  grain. 

John  Blake,  Ellenvillc,  N.  Y.,  splits,  etc. 

C.  T.  Roenitz  Leather  Co.,  Sheboygan,  Wis., 
grains. 

James  Skinner  Co.,  Boston,  buff. 

Walker-Oakley  Co.,  Chicago,  wax  and  calf. 

E.  C.  Cottle  &  Co.,  Boston,  splits. 

J.  B.  Weed  &  Co.,  Binghamton,  N.  Y.,  grain. 

B.  F.  Thompson  &  Co.,  Boston,  buff  and  grain. 

Joseph  Hecht  &  Sons,  New  York,  hides 

The  bonds  of  the  company  are  payable  in  twenty 
years.  A  sinking  fund  is  provided  for  the  purchase, 
at  not  over  115  and  interest,  of  $115,000  bonds  per 
annum.  If  bonds  cannot  be  bought  at  115  or  less, 
the  sinking  fund  is  to  be  invested  in  a  manner  sat- 
isfactory to  the  trustee  of  the  mortgage.  Bonds  in 
sinking  fund  are  to  draw  interest,  which  is  likewise 
to  be  invested  or  used  in  purchase  of  outstanding 
bonds.  The  Colonial  Trust  Co.  is  the  trustee  of  the 
mortgage. 

Thomas  W.  Hall,  of  Hall,  Haight  &  Co.,  the 
president  of  the  American  Hide  and  Leather  Com- 


THOMAS    W.    HALL. 
PRESIDENT  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HIDE  &  LEATHER  CO. 


THE  UNITED  STATES  LEATHER  CO.      193 

pany,  is  widely  and  favorably  known  as  a  leather 
merchant.  He  has  been  in  the  trade  for  thirty- 
three  years,  although  he  is  still  a  comparatively 
young  man.  He  was  born  in  1845.  Some  relatives 
of  his  were  engaged  in  the  leather  trade,  which,  per- 
haps, decided  him  to  adopt  that  vocation.  In  1866, 
he  became  a  salesman  for  Keck  &  Mosser,  at  No. 
7  Ferry  street. 

In  October,  1872,  he  went  with  John  B.  Alley  & 
Co.  One  year  from  that  time  he  became  connected 
with  Stephen  Kistler  &  Co.,  and  in  October,  1876, 
formed  the  firm  of  Kistler,  Hall  &  Co.  In  1883, 
he  formed  with  H.  B.  Vaughan  the  firm  of  Hall  & 
Vaughan,  which  built  and  managed  some  large  tan- 
neries. This  firm  was  dissolved  later,  and  their 
sole-leather  tanneries  were  merged  in  the  United 
States  Leather  Company.  Mr.  Hall  for  some  time 
after  the  organization  of  the  company  was  actively 
engaged  in  its  selling  department. 

In  1894  the  firm  of  Hall,  Haight  &  Co.  was 
formed  with  tanneries  at  Ballston  Spa,  New  York, 
and  stores  in  New  York  and  Boston.  The  firm  has 
an  immense  production  of  grain  and  split  leallicr. 
Mr.  Hall  has  gained  a  prominent  place  in  the  trade 
by  reason  of  his  aptitude  for  affairs,  and  his  uniform 
urbanity  and  integrity.  His  name  was  mentioned 
from  the  first  as  president  of  the  new  corporation, 
and  he  had,  in  his  important  office,  the  hearty  sup- 
port of  his  colleagues  to  an  eminent  degree. 

William  N.  Eisendrath,  first  vice-president,  was 
born  in  Chicago  in  1856,  and  has  resided  there  con- 


194  HISTORY  OF  THE   SWAMP. 

tinuously  ever  since,  with  the  exception  of  two  years 
spent  at  school  in  Germany.  He  received  a  gram- 
mar and  high  school  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  Chicago.  His  first  business  experience  was  as 
salesman  for  the  Stearns  Lime  Co.  Leaving  that 
employment  in  1876,  he  started  in  the  tanning 
business  in  Chicago  with  his  cousin,  B.  D.  Eisen- 
drath,  and  the  firm  name  of  B.  D.  &  W.  N.  Eisen- 
drath.  Their  product  was  largely  sheep  and  glove 
leathers  at  the  start,  but  later  various  lines  of  shoe 
leathers  were  produced.  This  firm  was  dissolved 
in  1885,  and  the  firm  of  W.  N.  Eisendrath  &  Co. 
was  organized,  which  succeeded  to  the  business  of 
the  former  house.  In  1892  W.  N.  Eisendrath  & 
Co.  was  incorporated.  At  that  time  a  brother,  Jo- 
seph, left  the  concern,  taking  with  him  the  glove 
manufacturing  department,  which  had,  by  that  time, 
assumed  large  proportions.  A  few  years  ago  one 
of  the  firm's  tanneries  was  destroyed  by  fire,  and  a 
year  later  their  present  large  tannery  building  was 
erected,,  which  places  them  among  the  foremost 
producers  of  calf  and  horsehide  leathers  in  this 
country.  They  were  among  the  first  to  introduce 
dongola  shoe  leathers,,  also  many  other  lines  Vv'hich 
are  now  in  general  use.  Mr.  Eisendrath  is  a  public 
spirited  citizen,  and  takes  a  deep  interest  in  chari- 
table affairs.  He  occupies  a  foremost  position  in 
the  leather  trade  of  the  West,  which  has  been  at- 
tained through  untiring  industry  and  integrity,  and 
from  a  small  beginning. 

E,  L.  White,  of  White  Bros.  &  Co.,  tanners  of 


THE  UNITED  STATES  LEATHER  CO.       195 

calfskins,  was  vice-president  of  the  new  corpo- 
ration, graduated  from  the  LoweU  schools,  and  at 
an  early  age  went  into  his  father's  tannery.  Ho 
resigned  in  May,  1901.  He  soon  became 
a  practical  tanner  and  was  always  in  search 
for  something  new.  In  1881  the  firm  made  alum 
sheep,  dongola,  alligator,  etc.  In  1887  he,  with  his 
father  and  tw'o  brothers,  formed  the  house  of  White 
Bros.  &  Co.,  making  kangaroo,  glazed  kid  and  calf- 
skins. Originators,  but  never  imitators,  they  soon 
introduced  the  famous  Ooze  calf,  a  leather  which 
gained  a  world-wide  reputation.  Subsequently  they 
produced  Russia  calf,  and,  it  is  claimed,  they  were 
the  first  concern  in  this  country  to  give  it  the  pecul- 
iar odor  of  Russia  Icatlier.  They  afterward  intro- 
duced Box  and  Willow  Calf,  patenting  their  trade 
marks.  They  constantly  increased  their  produc- 
tion, enlarging  their  tannery  at  Lowell  till  at  pres- 
ent they  have  one  of  the  largest  and  best  appomted 
plants  in  the  United  States.  In  1898  they  moved 
into  the  new  building  erected  for  them  on  the 
corner  or  Atlantic  avenue  and  East  street. 

Theodore  S.  Haight,  third  vice-president,  is  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Hall,  Haight  &  Co.,  and  is  a 
resident  of  Ballston  Spa,  N.  Y.  He  is  a  son  of 
Samuel  Haight,  the  founder  of  the  house  of  Haight 
&  Co.,  established  in  1872.  He  is  a  young  man, 
about  35  years  of  age,  a  thoroughly  practical  tanner 
and  is  in  charge  of  the  large  tannery  at  Ballston 
Spa.  His  whole  education  and  training  have  been 
along  the  technical  and  practical  lines  of  the  indus- 


196  HISTORY  OF  THE  SWAMP. 

try.  Mr.  Haight  is  an  all-round  business  man  and 
possesses  a  liberal  education.  He  is  a  director  of 
the  Ballston  Spa  National  Bank. 

A  mortgage  was  recorded  September  25,  1899,  in 
the  Essex  County  (Mass.)  Registry  of  Deeds  at 
Salem  upon  the  American  Hide  and  Leather  Com- 
pany to  the  Colonial  Trust  Company  of  New  York. 
Tlie  mortgage  secures  an  issue  of  bonds  for  $10,- 
000,000.  The  revenue  stamps  affixed  to  the  docu- 
ment were  valued  at  $5,000. 

The  6  per  cent,  first  mortgage  20-year  sinking 
fund  gold  bonds  of  the  American  Hide  and  Leather 
Company  are  to  be  placed  on  the  market  by  J.  & 
W.  Sehgman  &  Co.  In  Boston  E.  H.  Gay  &  Co. 
will  receive  subscriptions.  The  total  amount  of 
bonds  authorized  by  the  company  is  $10,000,000. 

The  American  Hide  and  Leather  Company  in 
October,  1899,  leased  for  a  long  term  of  years  the 
large  building  at  the  corner  of  East  street  and  At- 
lantic avenue,  and  will  make  it  the  Boston  head- 
quarters of  the  company.  The  building  is  directly 
opposite  the  new  Southern  Union  Station,  and  faces 
the  big  hotel  now  being  erected  by  the  Bowditch 
Syndicate. 

The  annual  meeting  of  the  American  Hide  and 
Leather  Company  was  held  in  Jersey  City,  Sep- 
tember 5th,  1900.  The  following  directors  were 
elected. 

C.  H.  Buswell,  VV.  N.  Eisendrath, 

Charles  W.  Tidd,  Thomas  W.  Hall, 

William  Becker,  E.  L.  White, 


THE  UNITED  STATES  LEATHER  CO.       197 

Albert  Bernard,  Theodore  S.  Haight, 

Thomas  Kiernan,  Aaron  Hccht, 

James  Skinner,  M.  Robson, 

Geo.  A.  Hill,  F.  L.  Rocnitz, 

Henry  Seligman,        •        E.  E.  Elms, 
Frederick  Strauss,  James  B.  Weed, 

Thomas  J.  Ryan. 

In  tlie  above  list  there  are  the  names  of  five  per- 
sons who  are  not  tanners.  They  are  Henry  Selig- 
man  and  Frederick  Strauss,  of  the  banking  house 
of  J.  &  W.  Seligman  &  Co.,  who  have  acted  as 
underwriters  and  syndicate  managers;  Thomas  J. 
Ryan,  the  promoter  of  the  enterprise ;  Aaron 
Hecht,  of  Joseph  Hecht  &  Sons,  calfskin  dealers, 
and  C.  A.  DeGersdorfif,  of  Seward,  Guthrie  & 
Steele,  attorneys  for  J.  &  W.  Seligman  &  Co. 

The  directors  met  at  2  :30  in  the  afternoon  at  the 
headquarters  of  the  company  in  Clifif  street.  New 
York,  and  elected  the  following  officers  : 

President — Thomas  W.  Hall. 

First  A  ice  President — W.  N.  Eiscndrath. 

Second  Vice-President — E.  L.  White. 

Third  Vice-President — Theodore  S.  Haight. 

Fourth  Vice-President — Aaron  Hecht. 

Secretary  and  Treaurer,  George  A.  Hill. 

Secretary  and  Treasurer  in  Boston — Wm.  O. 
Cutter. 

Secretary  and  Treasurer  in  Chicago — E.  V.  Gale. 

Executive  Committee — Thomas  W.  Hall,  E.  L. 
White,  W.  N.  Eisendrath,  Theodore  S.  Halt,  Aaron 
Hecht. 


198  HISTORY  OF  THE  SWAMP. 

The  executive  committee  now  numbers  but  five, 
instead  of  seven.  The  offices  of  secretary  and  treas- 
urer have  been  combined. 

The  following  report  was  submitted  : 

ASSETS. 

Cash    $399,248.96 

Due  by  customers 1,615,955.28 

Bills  receivable   15,811.19 

Sundry  book  accountsss   20,798.60 

Hides  and  leather   on   hand   in   pro- 
cess of  tanning 7,221,641.25 

Drawbacks  and  overpaid  duties....  56,008.98 

Sundry  personal  property 30i?570-79 

Advances  other  companies 263,227.12 

Cost  of  properties 25,202,423.40 

Stocks  of  other  companies 430,000.00 

Unexpired  insurance  policies 50'335-63 

Stock  in  trust 10.00 

$35,577-030.93 

LIABILITIES. 

Accrued  interest   $141,155.56 

Sundry  book  accounts 74,881.57 

Foreign  exchange,  not  yet  due 2,022.801.83 

Bonds   8,525,000.00 

Consideration    mentioned    in    mort- 
gage    80.00 

Preferred  stock 13,000,000.00 

Common  stock  11,500,000.00 


THE  UNITED  STATES  LEATHER  CO.       199 

$35,263,918.96 


Surplus  ay  31,  1900 $313,111.97 

Interest  paid,  March  i,  1900 253,950.00 

Interest  accrued,  May  31,  1900....        127,875.00 

Profit  for  nine  months  (vSept.  2d,  1899, 

May  31,  1900,  inchisive) $694,036.97 

On  behalf  of  the  Board  of  Directors, 

Charles  W.  Tidd,  Treasurer. 

New  York,  Sept.  4,  1900. 

Several  circumstances  have  conspired  to  make 
the  report  less  favorable  than  those  who  have  been 
thoroughly  infrmed  haave  anticipated.  In  the  first 
place  the  firms  that  joined  the  American  Hide  and 
Leather  Co.  sold  in  August,  1899,  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  $4,000,000  worth  of  leather  in  order  to  real- 
ize in  cash  and  straighten  out  their  affairss  before 
merging  their  concerns  into  the  combination.  This 
left  the  company  with  practically  clean  floors  at 
the  outset,  and  they  were  obliged  to  begin  tanning 
heavily  to  recruit  their  stockss.  Then,  again,  prices 
of  hides  were  high.  Buffs  were  10  i-2c.  in  the  lat- 
ter part  of  August,  1899.  The  company  may 
have  been  caught  somewhere  during  the  last 
quarter  of  1899,  or  beginning  of  1900,  with 
leather  tanned  from  dear  hides  which  had  to 
be  sold  on  a  declining  leather  market.  Of 
course,  the  sources  of  inform^iion  possessed  by  the 
company  are  so  diversified  that  that  kind  of  busi- 


200  HISTORY  OF  THE   SWAMP. 

ness  must  liavc  l^ccn  limited  by  the  management  as 
closely  as  possible.  Yet  it  is  difficult  to  understand 
how  the  organization  can  have  avoided  an  appreci- 
able loss  in  this  way. 

The  report  is  for  nine  months  only,  from  Sept. 
2,  1899,  to  May  31,  1900.  Of  course  it  took  some 
time  for  the  company  to  get  into  smooth  working 
order,  and  they  started  in  with  bare  floors,  it  might 
be  said  that  the  real  business  year  was  reduced  to 
even  seven  or  eight  months.  The  profit  for  nine 
months  is  stated  at  $694,936.97.  Out  of  this  sum 
$381,825  was  paid  for  interest  on  bonds,  leaving  a 
surplus  May  31,  1900,  of  $313,  11 1.97.  With  this 
showing  dividends  on  the  preferred  stock  are  a 
matter  for  indefinite  future  conjecture.  The  report, 
on  the  face  of  it,  cannot  be  called  satisfactory.  But 
there  were  disabilities  during  the  nine  months  that 
will  not  be  present  during  the  current  year.  The 
company  have  been  getting  to  work,  and  may  be 
said  now  to  be  well  under  way.  Most  people  will 
doubtless  suspend  judgment  upon  the  prospects  of 
the  organization  until  the  report  of  the  first  full 
year. 

MOROCCO  MANUFACTURE. 

The  manufacture  of  morocco  was  introduced  in 
the  Swamp  at  an  early  date.  Among  the  pioneers 
of  the  trade  in  the  Swamp  were  the  follcxwing: 

Benjamin  Birdsall  &  Co.  began  the  manufacture 
of  goat  and  sheep  morocco  in  1790.  Their  factory 
was  in  Ferry,  near  Clifif  street. 


MOROCCO    MANUFACTURERS.  201 

Jacob  Alott,  whose  factory  was  in  Frankfort 
street,  near  Gold,  part  of  the  site  of  which  is  now 
occupied  by  the  warehouses  of  A.  K.  Ely,  com- 
menced in  1795.  He  manufactured  goat  and  sheep 
He  retired  in  181 5,  and  removed  to  Westchester 
County,  N.  Y.,  where  he  became  a  popular  Quaker 
preacher. 

Daniel  Musgrove  commenced  in  1795.  at  No.  i<S 
Jacob  street.  He  did  an  extensive  business  in  the 
manufacture  of  sheepskins.  He  retired  in  1825, 
and  was  succeeded  by  his  son-in-law,  Daniel 
Braine. 

During  the  last  war  with  England,  1812-1815,  the 
British  blockaded  the  port  of  New  York,  and  con- 
sequently no  goatskins  could  be  had.  Morocco 
manufacturers  were  obliged  to  finish  native  sheep- 
skins as  a  substitute.  They  were  sold  to  the  shoe- 
makers as  high  as  $48  per  dozen  in  the  currency  of 
that  time. 

Isaac  Sherwood  began  business  at  No.  53  Frank- 
fort street,  in  1829.  He  continued  in  successful 
business  and  retired  in  1833  with  an  ample  fortune. 

Jonathan  Trotter  commenced  in  1817.  He  was 
for  many  years  the  most  extensive  manufacturer  of 
sheepskins  in  the  country.  He  had  two  factories — 
one  in  Ferry  street,  the  otlier  in  Brooklyn.  He  re- 
tired in  1840.  Mr.  Trotter  served  two  terms  as 
Mayor  of  the  city  of  Brooklyn,  and  was  popular  as 
a  business  man  and  chief  magistrate. 

Wm.  A.  Burtis  began  in  1820.  His  factory  was 
at  No.  13  Ferry  street;  he  manufactured  sheep- 
skins.    Mr.    Burtis    was    succeeded    in    1835    by 


202  HISTORY  OF  THE  SWAMP. 

James  R.  Smith,  who  continued  the  business  witli 
success  for  many  years.  Mr.  Smith  was  one  of  tlic 
original  members  of  the  National  Excliange,  and 
took  a  great  interest  in  its  organization.  He  was 
greatly  esteemed  for  his  high  social  qualities,  and 
was  an  honest  man. 

George  Watts  commenced  business  in  1820.  His 
factory  was  at  No.  jy  Vesey  street.  He  was  the 
first  to  manufacture  fancy-colored  morocco  for 
book-binding,  etc.  He  came  from  England,  where 
he  learned  the  trade.  He  moved  his  factory  to  No. 
24  Ferry  street  about  1824,  and  died  in  1826.  He 
was  succeeded  by  his  widow,  an  energetic  and  intel- 
ligent woman.  She  superintended  the  business 
personally,  often  handling  the  skins  in  the  tray  her- 
self. No  man  in  the  trade,  at  that  time,  was  more 
thoroughly  practical  and  expert  in  all  its  branches 
than  she,  and  no  woman  was  more  esteemed  in  so- 
cial life.  Slie  was  very  successful,  and  at  her  death, 
in  1834.  was  succeeded  by  her  sons,  James  and 
George  Watts. 

Thomas  Rogers  commenced  the  manufacture  of 
buckskin  leather  at  No.  89  Gold  street  about  1820. 
The  quality  of  the  leather  made  by  Mr.  Rogers 
was  excellent,  and  was  used  in  making  suspenders, 
gloves,  shirts  and  drawers,  the  latter  being  used,  by 
advice  of  physicians,  for  the  cure  of  rheumatism. 
He  retired  in  1838. 

GARNAR  FAMILY. 

Edward  M.  Garnar  occupied  the  premises  on  the 
retirement  of  Mr.  Rogers  in  1838.     He  manufac- 


MOROCCO    MANUFACTURERS.  203 

tiired  colored  skivers  for  book-binding,  etc.  Mr. 
Garnar  removed  his  factory  to  Brooklyn.  His  two 
sons,  Thomas  and  E.  M.,  Jr.,  were  largely  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  bark-tanned  sheepskins  and 
skivers.  The  firm  of  Thomas  Garnar  &  Co.  was 
established  about  half  a  century  ago.  They  tanned 
sheep,  deer,  calf  and  kid  skins  into  fancy  leather, 
and  gained  great  fame  for  their  fine  and  novel 
products.  Thomas  Garnar  died  a  few  years  ago, 
and  James  V.  Walsh  and  Henry  Walsh,  his  part- 
ners, continue  the  business  in  the  Swamp. 

Burbank  &  Co.  built  a  large  factory  at  Gowanus 
in  1832.  H.  M.  Warren  was  a  partner.  Mr.  Burbank 
was  lost  on  the  steamer  Atlantic,  on  the  Sound,  in 
1846.  Mr.  Warren  did  business  after  that  at  No.  20 
Spruce  street,  and  built  a  factory  in  Brooklyn.  His 
son,  H.  M.  Warren,  Jr.,  was  a  partner,  but  wen  to 
Denver.     H.  M.  Warren  died  in  1901. 

Thomas  Chase  manufactured  in  Wooster  street 
in  1842.  He  was  a  chemist,  and  lost  his  money  ex- 
perimenting in  tanning  goat  skins. 

In  the  early  part  of  th  esummer  of  1832,  New 
York  was  visited  for  the  first  time  by  that  dreaded 
epidemic,  the  Asiatic  cholera.  New  York  suffered 
more  than  any  other  city,  probably  on  account  of 
its  being  at  that  time  the  favored  port  of  entry  for 
the  immigrant.  A  panic  seized  the  people  in  con- 
sequence of  the  daily  increasing  mortality,  and 
large  numbers  fled  with  their  families  into  the  coun- 
try. Nearly  all  business  ceased.  Notwithstanding 
the  almost  general  stagnation  of  business,  all  the 


204  HISTORY    OF   THE    SWAMP. 

morocco  factories  continued  in  operation^  though 
not  to  their  full  capacity.  The  remarkable  fact  was 
brought  to  the  observation  of  physicians  and  others 
that  not  one  death  occurred  during  that  summer  of 
pestilence  among  the  whole  number  employed  in 
the  various  branches  of  the  morocco  business  in 
the  city.  The  fact  was  then  established  that  the 
morocco  factory,  notwithstanding  some  unpleasant 
features,  was  not  detrimental  to  health,  as  some 
Health  Commissioners  endeavored,  but  failed  to 
prove,  in  later  years. 

James  S.  Rockwell  began  the  manufacture  of 
sheepskins  in  1838;  he  had  an  office  or  desk  room 
in  Theater  Alley,  near  Beekman  street,  for  the  sale 
of  his  goods.  His  factory,  which  was  built  by  his 
father,  Theron  Rockwell,  in  1814,  was  in  Cole- 
brook  ;  he  subsequently  had  a  salesroom  corner 
Vandewater  and  Frankfort  streets,  and  afterward 
at  No.  46  Ferry  street.  In  the  early  part  of  1849 
he  removed  to  the  large  warehouse  erected  by  him 
at  No.  47  Ferry  street,  where  he  continued  until  he 
removed  to  Duane  street,  near  Broadway.  The 
Winstead,  Conn.,  factory  was  erected  by  Mr.  Rock- 
well in  1852;  in  1856  he  built  the  factory  in  Brook- 
lyn ;  it  was  of  brick,  and  at  that  time  was  the  largest 
sheepskin  factory  in  the  United  States.  About  1872 
Mr.  Rockwell  enlarged  it,  covering  nearly  the  en- 
tire square,  being  in  dimensions,  1,400  feet  long,  40 
feet  wide  and  four  stories  high.  The  firm  had  also 
in  operation  two  tanneries  in  Broome  County,  N. 
Y.,  in  addition  to  the  Winsted   factory,   for  the 


MOROCCO    MANUFACTURERS.  205 

manufacture  of  bark-tanned  sheepskins  exclu- 
sively. These  three  factories  were  under  the  con- 
trol and  management  of  John  T.  Rockwell.  The 
factory  in  Brooklyn  was  under  the  personal  super- 
vision of  James  S.,  and  was  used  entirely  for  the 
manufacture  of  sumac-tanned  stock,  which  was  col- 
ored and  finished  in  all  varieties  for  shoe  and  other 
purposes.  Mr.  Rockwell  had  the  faculty  of  select- 
ing the  right  men  for  the  right  places,  and  associ- 
ated with  him  under  the  firm  of  J.  S.  Rockwell  & 
Co.  several  younger  men  who  had  grown  up  in  his 
service,  the  first  of  whom,  John  Westervelt,  retired 
with  an  ample  fortune ;  afterward,  Samuel  G.  Bass, 
and  subsequently  George  Whiting,  became  associ- 
ated in  the  business.  Theron  Rockwell,  father  of 
James  S.,  died  January  30th,  1848.  A  remarkable 
mortality  occurred  among  the  members  of  the  firm. 
James  S.  Rockwell  died  January  3d,  1879,  after  a 
few  days'  illness ;  Samuel  G.  Bass  died  February 
15th,  1881,  and  George  Whiting  died  November 
25th,  1883. 

John  Just  began  the  manufacture  of  goat  and 
sheepskins  in  1845  in  Thirty-third  street.  About 
1855  the  firm  of  Just  &  Rutter  was  formed,  and  con- 
tinued several  years.  Wm.  Rutter  had  been  a  clerk 
with  John  Just  since  1849.  At  the  death  of  his 
father,  who  was  a  civil  engineer,  Wm.  Rutter  and 
his  brother,  Thomas,  completed,  successfully,  all 
their  father's  contracts,  among  which  were  the  Alle- 
gheny Tunnel  and  some  extensive  \\;orks  in  New 
York.    After  the  completion  of  these  contracts  Mr. 


2o6  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP. 

Ruttcr  resumed  the  manufacture  of  morocco  in 
Forty-ninth  street,  where  he  continued  until  he  re- 
moved his  manufacturing-  business  to  Waterbury, 
Conn.  His  son,  Wm.  P.  Rutter,  continues  as  Rut- 
ter  &  Turner. 

H.  &  C.  P.  Bucking  began  the  manufacture  of 
sheepskins  in  Thirty-ninth  street.  C.  P.  retired 
about  i860.  Henry  continued  the  business,  and 
erected,  in  1861,  a  factory  at  West  Farms.  This 
factory  was  enlarged  on  several  occasions.  On 
December  ist,  1869,  George  A.  Vroom  became  a 
partner  with  Henry  Bucking,  under  the  firm  of 
Bucking  and  Vroom,  and  continued  until  April  12, 
1873,  when  the  business,  together  with  Bucking's 
separate  wool  business,  was  incorporated  under  the 
name  of  the  Bucking  Wool  and  Leather  Company, 
with  a  capital  of  $1,000,000.  The  name  was 
changed  in  1873  to  the  Bucking  &  Vroom  Leather 
Co.  Soon  after  this  Bucking,  with  the  aid  of 
friends,  established  the  Bucking  Leather  Manufac- 
turing Co.  Mr.  Bucking  died  several  years  since. 
M.  Armstrong  &  Son  ran  this  factory  a  few  years. 
William  Armstrong,  of  the  Armstrong  Leather  Co., 
learned  his  trade  there. 

The  Morocco  Manufacturers'  National  Associa- 
tion was  formed  November  3d,  1865.  Maurice  S. 
Kerrigan  was  its  first  president.  Henry  Burk  held 
the  of^ce  several  years.  Henry  F.  Mitchell,  of 
Philadelphia,  is  president  now — 1901. 

McDermott  &  Howard  is  the  oldest  firm,  found^ 
ed  by  John  McDermott  in  1848.    Their  factory  is  in 


MOROCCO    MANUFACTURERS.  207 

Brooklyn.  M.  Frank  AIcDermott,  son  of  the  sen- 
ior, and  Wm.  J.  Howard,  are  the  partners. 

James  Kerrigan  was  a  pioneer.  He  began  about 
1820,  at  the  corner  of  Ferry  and  Gold  streets.  Fie 
made  a  fortune.  Flis  son,  Maurice  S.  Kerrigan, 
succeeded.  His  name  is  honored  among  manufac- 
turers of  morocco. 

The  Manhattan  Kid  Works  are  in  Brooklyn. 
Eugene  Newman  is  president,  Matthew  Howard 
manager. 

The  Blatz  Leather  Company  make  in  Elizabeth, 
and  sell  their  stock  in  the  New  York  Swamp.  They 
took  the  gold  medal  at  Paris  in  1900.  F.  J.  Blatz 
is  president,  Wm.  V.  Manning  manager. 

The  great  firm  of  F.  Blumenthal  &  Co.  have 
been  in  New  York  since  1873.  They  import  goat 
skins,  and  manufacture  in  Wilmington.  Mr.  Blu- 
menthal spends  much  time  in  Europe,  selecting 
raw  material,  and  Julien  Stevens  Ulman  is  the  lead- 
ing spirit  here. 

The  American  Leather  Company  manufacture 
in  Wilmington,  with  store  in  New  York.  Wm.  Mc- 
Carroll  and  J.  E.  T.  McCarroll  attend  to  the  trade. 
General  James  Parke  Postles,  the  president,  is  the 
manufacturer.  Wm.  McCarroll  is  a  member  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  chairman  of  the  commit- 
tee on  city  affairs  of  the  New  York  Board  of  Trade 
and  Transportation,  also  on  the  executive  commit- 
tee of  the  National  Association  of  Manufacturers 
and  a  director  in  the  Oriental  Bank.  He  is  super- 
intendent of  the  Sunday  school  of  the  Duryea  Pres- 


2o8  HISTORY    OF   THE    SWAMP. 

byterian  Church,  Brooklyn,  a  member  of  the  Union 
League  and  Marine,  and  Field  Clubs,  of  Brooklyn, 
and  the  chairman  of  the  "Brooklyn  Committee  of 
Fifty,"  an  organization  of  citizens  in  behalf  of  civic 
welfare. 

James  R.  T.  McCarroll,  the  treasurer  of  the  com- 
pany, entered  the  Swamp  in  1882,  leaving  the 
wholesale  boot  and  shoe  house  of  William  Neely  & 
Co.,  where  he  had  been  cashier  for  a  number  of 
years,  to  associate  himself  with  his  brother  in  the 
firm  of  Wm.  McCarroll  &  Co.  On  the  organization 
of  the  American  Leather  Co.  he  was  elected  treas- 
urer. Mr.  McCarroll  is  a  gentleman  of  quiet  habits 
and  demeanor,  and  strictly  attentive  to  business. 
His  home  is  in  Orange,  N.  J., where  he  takes  some 
part  in  matters  of  public  interest  and  in  local  poli- 
tics. He  is  also  active  in  Sunday  school  work, 
being  superintendent  of  a  large  Presbyterian  school 
in  East  Orange. 

BOOTH  &  CO- 

This  firm  are  among  the  largest  and  richest  in 
the  business.  They  import  skins  from  Brazil  and 
other  points,  and  manufacture  at  Gloversville  and 
Philadelphia.  No  house  has  done  more  for  the 
trade  than  Booth  «&  Co.  They  have  introduced  the 
dongola  and  the  patent  kid  tannage,  and  have  been 
active  in  protecting  the  interests  of  the  trade  in 
tariff  litigation.  Julius  Kuttncr  is  the  resident  part- 
ner. 

J.  EINSTEIN 

is  an  old  and  energetic  merchant.    For  many  years 


RICHARD  YOUNG  COMPANY.  209 

he  has  imported  "La  Tour"  bronze  kid,  and  con- 
trols its  sale  in  this  country.  He  aims  to  keen  fine 
grades  of  other  goods,  and  looks  over  the  markets 
of  Europe  regularly  for  such  stock.  He  has  for  a 
few  years  led  in  the  sale  of  vestings  for  shoe  tops, 

RICHARD  YOUNG  COMPANY- 

This  organization  conducts  the  business  founded 
by  Richard  Young,  one  of  the  most  sagacious,  en- 
ergetic and  successful  merchants  the  Swamp  has 
ever  seen.  When  a  young  man  he  came  from  Phil- 
a  delphia  and  worked  for  Rose,  Baldwin  &  Rose. 
In  1880  he  started  for  himself.  He  made  a  great 
success  of  "Camelopard"  leather.  Several  years 
ago  he  bought  the  store  No.  36  Spruce  street  and 
greatly  improved  and  enlarged  it.  In  1898  the 
Richard  Young  Company  was  formed.  Mr.  Young 
was  president,  James  Moore  Montgomery  treas- 
urer and  manager,  John  S.  Jackson  secretary. 
They  have  factories  in  Gloversville  and  Brooklyn, 
and  stores  in  New  York,  Boston,  Gloversville  and 
Sydney,  Australia.  Mr.  Young  is  a  director  in  the 
Hide  and  Leather  Bank,  and  member  of  the  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce,  Board  of  Education  and  other 
institutions.  He  is  a  prominent  public-spirited  and 
self-made  man. 

Mr.  Montgomery,  the  treasurer,  Avas  born  at 
Fort  Hamilton.  He  is  of  an  old  family,  and  re- 
ceived an  education  that  fitted  him  for  a  high  posi- 
tion such  as  he  holds  in  a  mercantile  house  of  high 
standing. 


2IO  HISTORY    OF   THE    SWAMP. 

ABE  STEIN  COMPANY. 
Abe  Stein  was  the  pioneer  goat  skin  dealer,  dat- 
ing from  1874.  Later  he  estabHshed  houses  in  Eu- 
rope, Araliia,  Afriea  and  South  America  and 
China.  About  1893  he  organized  the  Abe  Stein 
Company,  importers  and  exporters  of  skins.  Mr. 
Stein  is  an  enterprising  and  sagacious  merchant. 
His  company  is  officered  as  follows :  President, 
Abe  Stein;  treasurer,  Theo.  Minzesheimer;  secre- 
tary, E.  Stein. 

EILERS  &  BECKER  LEATHER  COMPANY- 

Anton  Eilers  is  one  of  the  solid  men  of  the  New 
York  leather  trade.  He  began  his  operations  in 
the  Swamp  in  1855  ^s  a  boy.  In  1868  he  became  a 
partner  in  F.  Wigand  &  Co.,  and  afterwards  with 
Joseph  Morris,  importer  of  fine  leather.  In  1875 
the  firm  of  Bittel,  Tepel  &  Eilers  was  formed.  They 
were  large  importers  of  C.  Heyl  and  other  brands 
of  calfskins.  The  next  change  was  to  the  Eilers  & 
Movius  Company,  about  1892.  They  began  to 
manufacture  gne  leather  on  a  large  scale.  Die- 
trich Eilers,  a  nephew  of  Anton  Eilers,  was  taken 
in  the  firm  in  1893,  after  graduating  at  college.  He 
has  charge  of  the  Boston  store.  Anton  Eilers 
owns  the  store  38  Spruce  street,  in  which  his  firm 
do  business.  In  1900  Mr.  Movius  retired,  and  his 
place  was  taken  by  Charles  Becker,  well  known  in 
the  Swamp.  He  began  in  the  leather  business  in 
Europe.  Ini867he  came  to  New  York  with  Heub- 
ner  &  Heller.  In  1884  he  went  with  Charles 
Hanselt  as  salesman,  and  was  in  charge  of  sales  for 


LEATHER    FIRMS.  211 

Booth  &  Co.  later.  In  1901  he  took  the  interest  of 
Mr.  Movius,  and  the  style  is  the  Eiler  &  Becker 
Leather  Company.  The  firm  manufacture  glazed 
and  dull  kangaroo  at  Gloversville,  kangaroo  calf, 
grain  calf.,  etc.,  at  North  Cambridge,  Mass.,  and 
glazed  calf  and  neat  kangaroo  at  Wilmington,  Del. 
They  sell  M.  M.  D.  patent  leather,  Simon  kid  and 
other  fine  imported  stock  at  their  New  York  and 
Boston  stores. 

N.  OSOLDSON 
came  here  from  Norway  about  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury ago.    He  was  for  some  years  with  Shattuck  & 
Binger,  but  engaged  in  business  for  himself  a  few 
years  ago  as  a  dealer  in  leather  and  findings. 

ARMAND  SCHMOLL 
is  a  merchant  and  manufacturer.  He  has  a  hide 
business  with  connections  in  Basle  and  Paris,  and 
at  Woodside,  N.  J.,  he  has  a  patent  calfskin  fac- 
tory, one  of  the  first  and  most  successful  estab- 
lishhed  in  the  United  States. 

ALPHONSE  WEIL  &  BROTHERS- 

The  father  and  grandfather  of  the  members  of 
this  firm  founded  the  hide  and  leather  business  in 
Strassburg,  Germany,  almost  a  hundred  years  ago. 
The  present  style  was  adopted  l)y  their  descend- 
ents,  who  organized  business  in  Paris  and  New 
York.  Aaron  and  Edmond  Weil  are  here.  They 
export  and  import  leather  and  hides,  and  have 
business  connections  in  all  parts  of  the  world. 
They  are  young  men  of  ability  and  thorough  busi- 
ness principles. 


212  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP. 

SELLMAN  &  CO. 

This  firm  make  cut  soles  and  deal  in  oak  sole 
leather.  Frank  H.  Sellman  was  in  business  in  Bal- 
timore. He  came  here  with  Fayerweather  &  La- 
dew,  and  when  they  left  the  Swamp  he  organized 
this  firm  and  engaged  in  business  for  himself.  His 
son,  J.  H.  Sellman,  was  taken  as  partner.  They 
have  stores  in  New  York  and  Boston. 

MORRIS  J-  DRUCKER 

came  to  this  country  from  Germany  in  1855  and 
settled  in  Nashvilel.  In  1866  he  came  to  New 
York  and  engaged  in  the  leather  business.  He 
died  January  ist,  1901,  and  was  at  that  time  the 
oldest  importer  in  the  trade.  He  was  highly  es- 
teemed as  an  honorable  man,  and  he  always  had  a 
good  record.  His  son,  James  B.  Drucker,  who 
had  been  with  his  father  thirteen  years,  succeeded 
to  the  business. 

RUTTER  &  TURNER. 

This  firm  and  its  predecessors  have  been  in  the 
Swamp  half  a  century.  The  members  are  practi- 
cal, reliable,  honorable  men.  They  make  in  Brook- 
lyn all  kinds  of  leather  from  sheepskin,  goat,  deer 
and  calfskins,  for  bag  and  bookbinders'  uses. 

BITTEL.  TEPEL  &  CO- 

This  is  a  solid,  reliable  firm  of  high  standing  in 
the  community.  They  are  known  as  agents  for  the 
C.  Heyl  patent  leather  and  calfskins,  made  in 
Ahms,  Germany.  Mr.  Bittel  lives  in  Worms  and 
attends  to  the  business  there.    William  Tepel  and 


LEATHER    FIRMS.  213 

Albert  Tepel  are  the  New  York  representatives. 
They  also  import  Charles  Simon  and  Fils  and 
"Lion"  calf,  and  deal  in  domestic  stock. 

WM.  H-  SHEELY, 

with  his  brother,  F,  Sheely,  Jr.,  came  here  from 
the  interior  of  the  State  to  sell  leather  they  tanned. 
Their  father,  Fred  Sheely,  has  been  a  tanner  in 
Elmira  and  vicinity  fifty  years.  The  young  men 
divide  the  business.  Wm.  H.  Sheely  owns  and 
runs  four  tanneries.  The  product  is  1600  sides  a 
day.  He  has  a  store  in  Boston.  F.  Sheely,  Jr  , 
sells  these  and  other  tannages  in  New  York. 

FRANK  S.  KILPATRICK 

manufactured  shoes  in  New  Brunswick,  N.  J.,  l)ut 
not  liking  the  location  came  to  New  York  and 
eventually  went  into  the  leather  business.  This 
was  in  1877.  He  sells  the  Quaker  City  glazed  kid, 
R.  K.  Johnstone  &  Co.,  Goodyear  welting  and 
fine  shoe  goods. 

J-  S.  BARNET  &  BRO.  CO. 

This  is  not  a  new  firm,  but  one  that  has  firmly 
established  a  great  business.  They  began  in  1873, 
dealing  in  calfskins.  In  1885,  however,  they 
bought  the  tannery  at  Little  Falls,  N.  Y.,  and  re- 
built it,  until  it  is  one  of  the  largest  in  he  country. 
They  incorporated  in  1901.  They  make  chrome, 
vegetable  and  bark  tanned  calfskins,  and  do  a  large 
domestic  and  exporting  business.  They  took  the 
gold  medal  for  their  exhibit  in  Paris  in  1890 — the 


214  HISTORY    OF   THE    SWAMP. 

only  one  that  ever  came  to  this  country  for  calf- 
skins. 

BERTHOLD      HAHN. 

Bertliold  Ilahn^  George  Hahn  and  Samuel  Hahn 
do  a  kid  and  patent  leather  business  under  the 
above  style.  Their  father,  Isidor  Hahn,  was  the 
pioneer  in  making  calf  kid  in  this  country.  His 
boys  were  brought  up  in  the  business.  They  now 
sell  Durgan,  Hood  &  Co.'s  and  Geo.  Baum  &  Sons' 
kid  and  George  Stengel's  patent  leather.  They 
have  introduced  these  goods  into  every  factory  in 
New  York  and  vicinity. 

THE  SWAMP  OF  TO-DAY. 

While  the  old  firms  that  made  the  reputation  of 
the  hide  and  leather  trade  have  been  merged  in 
corporations  or  retired,  there  are  many  in  busi- 
ness yet  that  should  be  mentioned.  Among  them 
are : 

WM-  H.  ADDOMS  &  CO., 

Who  were  established  in  1871,  and  have  a  good 
record  for  thirty  years  of  a  mercantile  career  as 
leather  dealers.  Wm.  H.,  S.  K.  and  A.  H.  Addo- 
nis  compose  the  firm. 

KELLOGG  &  SHEDDEN 

Are  a  sole  leather  firm.  Mr.  Kellogg's  father  was 
a  weigher  in  the  Swamp.  Mr.  Shedden  lives  in 
Boston  and  atends  to  their  Eastern  business. 


LEATHER    FIRMS.  215 

PFISTER  &  VOGEL  LEATHER  CO. 

This  great  firm  tliat  tans  almost  every  kind  of 
leather  known  has  one  of  their  stores  in  New  York. 
Guido  Pfister  and  A.  H.  Vogel  founded  this  house 
in  Milwaukee  fifty  years  ago.  Sons  of  the  founder 
conduct  the  business  now.  Fred  Vogcl,  the  presi- 
dent, rates  high  as  a  business  man.  Their  capital 
is  represented  by  millions  of  dollars.  Wm.  H. 
Heller  is  their  agent  here. 

HARBURGER  &  STACK. 

This  is  one  of  our  youngest  firms.  Julius  Har- 
burger  and  Richard  Stack  were  brought  up  in 
one  of  the  most  solid  mercantile  houses,  and 
formed  their  firm  about  three  years  ago.  They 
export  and  import  hides  and  leather.  Julius  Rob- 
ertson was  special  with  them  up  to  1901.  They 
own  a  line  of  sailing  vessels  running  to  Honduras 
and  Central  American  ports  and  deal  in  the  prod- 
ucts of  those  countries,  East  Indies,  etc. 

H-  E.  &  E.  D.  WILLIAMS 

Established  a  leather  house  here  in  1859.  The 
senior  was  formerly  in  business  in  New  London, 
Conn.  Chas.  D,  Williams,  his  son,  came  in  the 
firm  in  1885.     They  finish  all  kinds  of  leather. 

D.  B.  FLEMING 

Is  a  currier  of  harness  leather.  He  has  two  sons 
connected  with  his  business.  Mr.  Fleming  is  a 
familiar  figure  in  the  Swamp,  a  hard-working  man 
and  a  frugal  merchant. 


2i6  HISTORY    OF   THE    SWl\MP. 

E.  R-  LAZARUS 

has  been  a  successful  merchant,  dealing  in  goat 
skins.  He  estabhshed  himself  as  an  importer  in 
1888,  and  furnishes  morocco  manufacturers  with 
skins  from  all  parts  of  the  world.  Mr  Lazarus  is  a 
real  estate  owner,  and  has  some  lots  located  in  the 
geographical  centre  of  Greater  New  York. 

J.  FROWENFELD 

has  been  a  buyer  of  goat  skins  in  Europe  for  thirty 
years.  In  1887  he  established  a  connection  in  New 
York,  representing  Antoine  May,  of  Paris 

S.  H-  FRANK  &  CO. 

This  is  a  great  California  house  with  store  in  the 
Swamp.  They  make  oak  sole,  cut  soles,  and  har- 
ness leather.  They  are  the  only  tanners  on  the 
Pacific  coast  with  a  store  in  the  East. 

WM.  C-  BUCKLEY 

makes  Goodyear  welting,  and  has  a  large  factory 
on  Ferry  street.  His  father  was  a  tanner  and 
leather  merchant. 

A.  L.  HARRIS  &  CO- 

This  firm  make  and  deal  in  fancy  leather  exclu- 
sively. Druggists'  supplies  are  part  of  their  stock 
in  trade. 

TALBOT  &  FORFAR. 

This  firm  have  dealt  in  leather  for  twenty  years. 
Both  partners  were  with  Henry  Arthur.  S.  H. 
Talbot  joined  the  Twenty-third  New  York  Battery 
during  the  war,  when  he  was  seventeen  years  old, 


TRADE    BANQUET.  217 

going  in  a  private  and  coming  out  a  sergeant.  This 
battery  fired  the  last  cannon  shot  of  the  war  at 
Monsville,  N.  C,  April  13th,  1865. 

TRADE  BANQUET. 

On  the  evening  of  February  loth,  1859,  an  elab- 
orate banquet  was  given  by  the  hide  and  leather 
trade  of  New  York,  at  the  Metropolitan  Hotel, 
corner  of  Broadway  and  Prince  streets.  Tanners 
were  present  from  Boston,  Lynn,  Baltimore  and 
Philadelphia.  There  were  340  guests.  The  com- 
mittee of  arrangements  were  Isaac  H.  Bailey, 
chairman;  Joseph  E.  Buckley,  secretary;  John  F. 
McCoy,  treasurer. 

The  committee  with  them  were  Jackson  S. 
Schultz,  Wm.  Miles,  Oliver  Hoyt,  Aaron  Healy, 
John  Armstrong,  Edwin  Thorne,  James  Eraser, 
William  Palen,  Geo.  F.  Butman.  It  was  the  first, 
and  only  banquet,  given  by  the  New  York  trade. 
There  are  not  more  than  half  a  dozen  men  now 
living  who  attended  it.  Tliose  who  eulogized  the 
fathers  of  the  trade  on  that  occasion  are  now  re- 
membered as  being  among  the  founders.  The  mer- 
chants of  to-day  will  be  interested  in  reading  an  ac- 
count of  the  proceedings  at  this  convivial  meeting 
of  tanners,  leather  and  shoe  manufacturers  of  the 
olden  time.  Particular  interest  attaches  to  three 
speeches  that  contained  prophetic  utterances.  That 
of  B.  G.  Boardmen  foreshadowing  Cuban  afTairs 
and  the  Suez  canal ;  Wm.  A.  Hall,  predicting  city 
factories  with  steam  power,  and  labor-saving  ma- 


2i8  HISTORY    OF   THE    SWAMP. 

chines,  and  of  Jackson  S.  Sclmltz,  who  said  wc 
should  supply  Europe  with  leather,  and  did  so  much 
to  bring  it  about. 

At  nine  o'clock  the  guests  sat  at  the  table.  Rev. 
Robert  McCarter,  D.  D.,  the  son  of  an  old  Swamp 
tanner,  asked  the  blessing.  Colonel  William  Kum- 
bel,  the  oldest  member  of  the  New  York  leather 
trade,  was  in  the  chair.  He  was  the  pioneer  belt- 
maker  and  had  always  lived  near  the  Swamp.  In 
opening  the  intellectual  part  of  the  entertainment 
Mr.  Kumbel  said :  "I  will  take  you  back  for  a  mo- 
ment to  the  Swamp  as  it  was  in  my  youth,  fifty 
years  ago !  The  block  bounded  by  Ferry,  Frank- 
fort, Jacob  and  Gold  streets  was  an  entire  block  of 
tanneries.  There  were  two  in  Frankfort,  one  each 
in  Gold,  Vandewater  and  Ferry  streets.  There  was 
not  a  three-story  building  in  the  Swamp.  Influen- 
tial men  in  business  were  Gideon  Lee,  Abraham 
Bloodgood,  David  Bryson,  Cunningham  &  McCor- 
mick,  Jacob  Lorillard  and  Israel  Corse.  The  sales 
of  the  largest  house  were  only  about  $200,000,  while 
now  such  firms  sell  $2,000,000  to  $4,000,000  yearly." 

Benj.  G.  Boardman,  a  prominent  Boston  dealer, 
said :  ''Allow  me,  with  the  eye  of  imagination,  to 
take  a  look  at  our  trade  in  the  next  century.  The 
tanners  and  merchants  will  be  double  your  present 
number.  The  civilized  world  will  be  your  custom- 
ers, and  perhaps  Cuba  and  Central  America  will  be 
part  of  your  territory.  Why,  to-day  we  are  four 
months  in  receiving  hides  from  India  by  the  East- 
ern routes  and  in  sailing  vessels.     Our  posterity 


TRADE  BANQUET.  |      ,  219 

will  receive  them  in  thirty  days  by  the  Western 
route,  and  steam  transit.  We  know  the  gilt-edged 
character  of  the  paper  of  the  hide  and  leather  trade, 
but  I  hope  that  all  paper  issues  will  give  place  to 
rods  and  bars  of  gold,  and  financial  improvements 
that  will  banish  panics  and  panic-makers  from  the 
land. 

William  Claflin  of  Boston  said :  "Our  people, 
soon  after  the  Revolution,  began  to  invest  money 
in  manufacturing.  In  1810  shoes  made  in  most 
parts  of  Massachusetts  were  intended  for  home 
use,  but  attempts  were  made  to  extend  the  trade. 
One  old  manufacturer  in  Worcester  County  thought 
himself  very  lucky  when  he  was  able  to  cut  up  one 
side  of  sole  leather  a  day.  About  181 1  the  shoe 
peg  was  invented.  By  increasing  the  demand  it 
turned  the  attention  of  manufacturers  to  the  exten- 
sion of  the  trade.  Markets  were  found  in  the  South, 
From  1820  to  1830  the  business  was  rapidly  ex- 
tended and  an  old  barn  or  deserted  meeting  house 
was  often  turned  into  a  shoe  factory.  The  progress 
was  limited,  and  a  person  w'ho  made  25  cases  a 
week  was  considered  a  manufacturer  of  note.  Now, 
some  houses  produce  500  cases  a  week.  Since 
1830  the  trade  has  been  methodically  divided. 
Whole  towns  are  devoted  to  only  one  kind  of  work. 
In  Massachusetts,  40,000  persons  (say  every  eighth 
male  adult)  is  engaged  in  making  shoes.  Since 
1 85 1  the  introduction  of  sewing  machines  for  clos- 
ing the  uppers,  and  a  few  other  ingenious  inven- 
tions which  obviated  the  necessity  for  working  in  a 


220  HISTORY    OF   THE    SWAMP. 

stooping  position  has  had  a  tendency  to  develop 
the  muscles,  and  has  been  better  for  the  health  of 
the  workers.  In  Massacluisetts  the  annual  value 
of  shoes  made  is  $35,000,000  to  $40,000,000,  and  of 
leather  $20,000,000.  This  exceeds  cotton  and 
woolen  manufacture.  As  to  increase  of  business, 
no  limit  can  be  assigned.  The  time  will  soon  be 
here  when  from  all  quarters  of  the  globe  the  de- 
mand will  come.  Thus  from  generation  to  gen- 
eration the  growth  and  progress  of  the  business  will 
continue  to  contribute  to  the  wealth  of  the  com- 
munity and  the  advantage  of  all  engaged  in  it. 

John  Armstrong,  of  M.  Armstrong  &  Sons,  de- 
scribedi  the  variety  of  "kit"  and  findings  then  in  use 
to  make  and  repair  shoes.  Most  of  these  are  ob- 
solete now.  He  said  that  many  staple  articles  came 
from  England,  France  and  Germany,  although  al- 
most every  year  the  importation  of  some  arlicles 
were  dropped,  as  Yankee  ingenuity  is  ever  at  work 
inventing  new  labor-saving  instruments.  The  eflfect 
of  this  is  that  while  leather  is  dearer,  shoes  are  con- 
stantly growing  cheaper,  the  use  of  machinery 
making  up  the  difference  in  cost.  When  we  think," 
said  he,  "of  the  climes  and  countries  from  which 
we  are  drawing  our  supplies  to  shoe  the  people 
of  America,  we  feel  that  none  have  a  better  right 
than  we  to  join  in  the  praise  of  commerce.  The 
cattle  of  South  America,  the  kips  of  India,  the 
calves  of  Europe,  the  sheep  of  England,  the  goats 
of  Mexico,  the  seals  of  the  northern  coast  and  isles, 
the  horses  of  the  great  Southern  plains,  the  cattle 


TRADE  BANQUET.  221 

grazing-  on  a  tliousand  hills,  all  have  to  contribute 
their  coats  to  shelter  our  feet.  We  send  to  Eng- 
land for  lastings,  thread  and  tools ;  to  France  and 
Germany  for  fine  leather;  to  Italy  for  silks;  to 
Russia  for  leather  and  bristles ;  to  the  Straits  for 
oil.  Vessels  take  long  voyages  to  bring  us  hides 
from  the  Golden  West,  from  Africa,  or  to  transport 
the  japonica  from  India,  the  sumach  from  Sicily  or 
cochineal  from  Honduras." 

The  speech  of  Mr.  Armstrong  shows  the  import- 
ance of  the  findings  trade  forty  years  ago.  In  all 
our  cities  were  scores  of  dealers  whose  sales  to 
custom  shoemakers  were  large.  New  Orleans  had 
a  great  trade.  There  were  eight  firms  importing 
calfskins  there.    All  that  trade  has  died  out. 

George  F.  Thomae,  a  hide  importer,  said  that  in 
1838  the  import  of  hides  to  the  United  States  was 
613,500  pieces,  value  $2,000,000.  In  1858  they  Vv-ere 
2,757,000  pieces,  valued  at  $10,000,000. 

William  A.  Hall,  of  Benedict,  Hall  &  Co.,  said 
it  would  be  impossible  from  the  position  the  shoe 
trade  occupied,  to  conceive  the  difficulties  they  had 
to  encounter  forty,  or  even  twenty  years  ago. 
Scarcely  a  decent  store  could  be  got  for  the  busi- 
ness. Lofts  or  cellars  were  looked  upon  as  good 
enough.  An  old  and  worthy  gentleman  in  our 
trade,  on  seeing  a  store  in  Pearl  street  marked  "To 
Let,"  asked  the  rent  of  it.  The  agent  inquired  for 
what  purpose  it  was  wanted.  Being  told  for  the 
shoe  trade,  he  said  that  the  store  was  the  property 
of  a  widow  and  orphan  children,  and  he  was  sure 


222  HISTORY    OF   THE    SWAMP. 

neither  he  nor  they  would  consent  to  have  it  used 
for  such  a  business,  and  he  added  :  "The  shoe  trade 
should  never  have  been  permitted  to  extend  beyond 
the  limits  of  the  Swamp,  where  it  is  the  custom  to 
sell  lo  per  cent,  of  water  in  every  pound  of  leather." 
Ihe  sales  of  New  York  jobbers  are  now  $15,000,000 
annually.  There  are  56  in  the  wholesale  and  842  in 
the  retail  shoe  trade.  The  first  revolution  in  the 
trade  was  the  beginning  of  making  pegged  work. 
I  well  remember  the  first  pegging  machine.  Charles 
D.  Bigelow  owned  and  ran  it.  Previous  to  Its  in- 
troduction, nothing  but  sewed  and  nailed  v/ork 
was  known.  Now  seven-eighths  of  the  shoes  made 
are  pegged.  Mr.  Hall  closed  with  the  following 
prediction :  "I  am  confident  that  at  no  distant  day 
we  shall  see  erected  in  our  chief  cities,  large  and 
convenient  factories  containing  the  steam  engine 
and  filled  with  labor-saving  machinery  now  un- 
known, or  of  which  we  have  only  a  vague  concep- 
tion, all  contributing  to  diminish  the  cost,  increase 
the  production,  and  give  additional  value  to  the 
wearing  qualities  of  shoes  when  made." 

This  remarkable  prophecy,  made  by  Mr.  Hall, 
has  been  fulfilled  to  the  letter. 

Jackson  S.  Schultz  spoke  on  the  future  of  the 
trade.  He  said  we  must  command  other  markets 
for  our  products.  To  do  this  we  must  adapt  our 
leather  to  the  wants  of  other  nations.  There  is  a 
struggle  going  on  quietly  that  will  give  us  the 
markets  of  the  world  for  bark  tanned  sole  leather. 
No  man  can  pretend  to  foretell  the  future  of  our 


TRADE  BANQUET.  223 

trade,  but  destiny  has  made  us  the  tanners  of  the 
world,  and  we  but  poorly  perform  our  duties  if  we 
do  not  take  our  destined  position.  At  the  same 
time,  the  advancement  in  growth  in  our  country  is 
unmistakable.  The  new  states  in  the  Pacific  and 
in  the  West  are  opening  a  great  trade  in  supply 
and  demand.  We  want  to  be  prepared  for  all  this 
influx  of  trade. 

Mr.  Schultz  closed  by  offering  as  a  toast :  ''The 
Success  of  the  'Shoe  and  Leather  Reporter,'  "  and 
said  the  conductors  of  that  paper  had  very  kindly 
assisted  the  committee  in  carrying  out  the  arrange- 
ments of  the  festival.  The  sentiment  was  responded 
to  by  F.  W,  Norcross,  who  represented  the  "Re- 
porter" on  that  occasion. 

J.  K.  Gamble,  leather  inspector,  replied  for  Phil- 
adelphia : 

Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen : — On  looking 
around  this  evening  I  have  been  expecting  to  see 
our  Hills,  our  Kirkpatricks,  our  Mussers  and  our 
Howells,  and  I  little  thought  the  honor  would  be 
assigned  me  to  represent  our  city  at  the  Hide  and 
Leather  Dinner  this  evening.  The  advantages  of 
the  city  of  New  York  can  hardly  be  overestimated, 
whether  as  a  centre  of  trade  or  as  a  focus  of  political 
influence,  or  as  possessing  the  advantage  of  rapid 
communication  with  the  whole  world.  As  to  the 
leather  trade  of  Philadelphia,  it  has  increased  100 
per  cent,  during  the  past  ten  years.  It  is  now 
stretching  out  its  strong  right  arm,  and  as  it  ad- 
vances, the  land  will  be  cleared,  and  the  woodman's 


224  HISTORY    OF    TPIE    SWAMP. 

axe  will  be  heard  in  the  forests  of  Pennsylvania. 
You  have  opened  all  the  State  of  New  York.  You 
have  been  before  us  in  your  enterprises.  But  we 
will  follow  you^  nor  will  we  give  up  the  race  until 
we  can  roll  up  our  three  millions  of  sides  in  the 
city  of  Philadelphia.  Feeling  thus  respecting  my 
own  city  and  my  own  trade,  I  cannot  repress  a  sen- 
timent of  pleasure  as  I  look  upon  the  old  men  and 
the  young  men  by  whom  I  am  surrounded,  and  I 
will  freely  confess  that  I  am  proud  to  be  associated 
with  so  noble  a  body  of  men  as  those  compo'jing 
this  assembly  to-night,  and  I  shall  never  forget  the 
cordial  reception  with  which  you  have  welcomed 
me.  When  you  visit  Philadelphia,  New  York, 
Baltimore,  Boston,  where  does  the  business  flow 
from?  True,  we  cannot  compete  with  you  in  the 
importations. 

Benj.  De  Ford,  of  De  Ford  &  Co.,  of  Baltimore, 
replied  for  that  city : 

He  said  he  was  proud  of  the  honor  of  represent- 
ing one  of  the  sister  cities,  and  the  hide  and  leather 
trade  of  the  South.  He  had  had  the  honor  for 
thirty-five  years  to  be  one  of  the  body,  and  the 
friendly,  warm  reception  he  had  met  with  that  even- 
ing would  attach  him  still  more  to  his  profession 
and  to  those  who  in  New  York  and  elsewhere  were 
fellow-members  associated  in  it  with  himself.  With 
the  permission  of  the  president,  he  would  state 
some  acts  illustrative  of  the  progress  and  growth  of 
the  trade  of  Baltimore  and  its  vicinity.  The  in- 
crease of  leather  inspected  showed  an  increase  of 


TRADE  BANQUET.  225 

300  per  cent,  between  the  years  1832  and  1858. 
Various  improvements  in  the  processes  of  tatming 
had  with  great  advantage  been  adopted,  and  not 
only  lessened  the  time  of  tanning,  but  increased  the 
weight  of  leather  and  improved  the  quality.  Re- 
ferring to  the  dififerent  markets  of  Boston,  Phila- 
delphia and  Baltimore,  he  showed  that  the  yearly 
increase  in  each  was  for  15  years  past  constantly 
the  same,  being  about  10  per  cent,  per  annum.  H(; 
added,  that  in  1847  New  York  had  increased  from 
one  million  of  hides  inspected  to  three  and  a  half 
millions,  an  expansion  equal  to  about  20  per  cent. 
per  annum.  The  cause  of  this  large  development, 
he  thought,  was  to  be  found  in  the  growing  pros- 
l)erity  of  the  country  and  the  important  works  of  in- 
ternal improvement,  which,  by  affording  new  facili- 
ties for  commercial  operations,  developed  more  rap- 
idly the  resources  of  the  State,  and  gave  an  extra- 
ordinary impulse  to  every  trade  possessing  vitality 
and  capable  of  growth. 

Shepherd  Knapp,  president  of  the  Mechanics' 
Bank,  and  formerly  of  Gideon  Lee  &  Company, 
said  :  Tliirty  or  forty  years  ago,  when  he  first  knew 
the  Swamp,  it  was  a  complete  quagmire.  The  busi- 
ness, now  so  large,  so  comprehensive,  so  method- 
ically conducted,  was  then  carried  on  by  a  pass- 
book, and  there  was  scarcely  an  instance  of  a  man's 
buying  fifty  sides  of  leather  at  one  time.  They  had 
heard  much  of  the  progress  of  the  trade.  It  was 
their  predecessors  who  had  organized  the  system 
which  had  so  greatly  contributed  to  the  advance- 


226  HISTORY    OF   THE    SWAMP. 

ment  of  the  trade.  In  Greene  County  the  manufac- 
ture had  been  conducted  on  a  large  scale.  The 
results  achieved  there  had  stimulated  the  trade  else- 
where, for  no  one  likes  to  be  outdone.  Large  estab- 
lishments had  been  erected,  and  the  country  was 
greatly  indebted  to  the  enterprise,  energy  and  skill 
of  the  men  whose  portraits  he  saw  around  him.  He 
referred',  among  others,  to  Colonel  Willian\  Ed- 
wards. In  1827  he  entered  the  Catskill  Mountains, 
and  spread  a  spirit  of  emulation  among  the  tanners 
there,  which  has  gone  on  increasing,  and  producing 
the  most  satisfactory  and  beneficial  effects.  The 
elTorts  and  the  inventions  of  these  men  were  greatly 
instrumental  in  developing  the  resources  of  the 
tanning  art  and  in  extending  the  demand  for  hem- 
lock-tanned leather.  He  would  refrain  from  fur- 
ther remarks,  as  many  other  speakers  were  to 
follow, 

Charles  M.  Leupp,  the  son-in-law  and  successor 
of  Gideon  Lee,  make  a  long  address  that  was  vigor- 
ously applauded.  His  remarks  were  laudatory  of 
the  trade.  He  said  that  the  amount  of  sole  leather 
inspected  in  New  York  had  risen  from  205,000  sides 
in  1827  to  665,000  in  1837,  and  3,500,000  sides  in 
1858.  ''The  large  tanneries,"  said  he,  "will  continue 
to  drive  out  the  lesser  ones,  concentrating  the  sale 
of  leather  in  cites  where  it  is  more  cheaply  and 
rapidly  distributed  to  states,  cities  and  villages  that 
thirty  years  ago  were  inaccessible."  He  added  that 
within  a  year  a  commercial  revulsion  had  swept 
over  the  whole  globe.    In  this  fierce  tornado  the 


TRADE  BANQUET.  227 

hide  and  leather  trade  had  stood  boldly  up  and 
although  owing  an  indebtedness  of  millions  of  dol- 
lars, not  one  house  had  succumbed — not  a  dollar 
had  been  defaulted.  Among  our  predecessors  were 
men  of  large  views,  high  honor  and  public  spirit. 
The  Roman  mother,  Cornelia,  when  asked  to  dis- 
play her  jewels,  pointed  to  her  sons.  So  can  we, 
pointing  to  these  fathers,  claim  them  as  ours.  Let 
us  cherish  their  example,  emulate  their  noble  qual- 
ities so  that  our  successors  may  say  of  us,  "He,  too, 
was  a  Swamper." 

A.  Fuller  Crane  of  Baltimore  quoted  the  remark 
of  Gideon  Lee,  ''No  business  can  be  successfully 
carried  on  unless  both  sides  derive  a  mutual  ben- 
efit." 

Although  this  was  styled  "Annual  Banquet,"  no 
other  has  been  given  by  the  New  York  hide  and 
leather  trade. 

Jackson  S.  Schultz  called  on  Frank  W.  Nor- 
cross  for  a  speech,  and  Mr.  Norcross  spoke  on  the 
future  of  the  trade.  He  said  in  part:  "It  is 
claimed  that  'Cotton  is  King.'  That  can  now  be 
changed  to  'Leather  is  King.'  At  the  end  of  this 
century  probably  more  than  70,000,000  of  our 
people  will  buy  it,  and  no  doubt  with  our  tanning 
facilities  we  shall  supply  the  civilized  world."  His 
remarks  w-ere  received  with  applause. 

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RICHARD  NELSON.  237 

This  book  might  be  deemed  incomplete  without 
some  reference  to  a  few  prominent  men  who  liad 
more  or  less  connection  with  the  Swamp. 

Richard  Nelson  is  favorably  known  to  the  trade 
here  and  abroad.  His  uncle,  after  whom  he  was 
named,  was  a  Poughkeepsie  capitalist  who  pro- 
vided E.  M.  Young  with  the  money  to  found  the 
firm  of  Young  &  Schultz  more  than  sixty  years 
ago.  His  namesake,  Richard  Nelson,  came  to 
New  York  with  Wm.  Palen  &  Noble, 
and  later,  with  William  Palen,  formed  the 
firm  of  Palen,  Nelson  &  Co.,  leather  brokers. 
About  six  years  ago  he  took  charge  of  the  banking 
and  commission  business  of  T.  L.  Manson  &  Co., 
in  the  Swamp.  Mr.  Nelson  is  one  of  the  most  hon- 
orable of  men  and  enjoys  the  entire  onfidence  of 
the  customers  of  this  prominent  moneyed  firm. 

John  A.  Hull  has  been  in  the  Swamp  since  1854. 
H.  D.  Hull  w^as  his  uncle.  About  1858  he  took 
charge  of  the  hide  business  of  Loring  Andrews  & 
Son,  who  at  that  time  were  stocking  twenty-two 
tanneries.  He  engaged  in  hide  weighing  in  1859. 
Harry  M.  Gilder,  a  brother-in-law  of  Henry  I.  Hull 
and  a  member  of  the  Gilder  family,  so  famous  in 
literature,  is  Mr.  Hull's  partner.  They  receive,  in- 
spect and  weigh  hides  for  tanners. 

Allen  Hall  passed  away  some  ten  years  ago.  He 
was  with  Terry  Brothers.  One  of  this  firm  mar- 
ried his  sister.  He  was  a  ousin  of  Thomas  W. 
Hall,  president  of  the  American  Hide  and  Leather 
Company,    and    had    other    relations  in  the  trade. 


238  HISTO.RY    OF   THE   SWAMP. 

Mr.  Hall  was  an  honorable  high-toned  gentleman, 
whose  word  as  a  broker  was  readily  taken  by  buy- 
ers and  sellers  of  hides. 

Philip  Augustus  White  was  a  druggist  at  the 
corner  of  Gold  and  Frankfort  street  for  more  than 
half  a  entury.  He  owned  the  building.  He  was  a 
colored  man,  but  one  of  the  most  advanced  of  his 
race.  He  was  for  many  years  a  member  of  the 
Brooklyn  Board  of  Education  and  a  trustee  of  St. 
Phillip's  Episcopal  Church.  Doctor  White  was  a 
philanthropist.  Every  day  at  noon  a  physician 
attended  at  his  store  to  prescribe  for  customers. 
There  were  many  poor  families  in  the  neighbor- 
hood and  medicines  and  attendance  was  freely 
given.  During  the  "draft  riots"  the  mob  came  to 
his  store  threatening  to  tear  it  down  and  murder 
the  proprietor.  His  Irish  friends,  men  and  women, 
rallied  to  his  rescue,  surrounded  the  store  and 
showed  such  a  determined  front  that  a  riot  was 
averted.  Dr.  White  made  a  speech  to  the  mob  and 
told  them  he  was  "about  half  Irish  himself." 


CENSUS  OF  1890. 

By  the  census  of  1890  New  York  State  reports 
200  tanneries  producing  $20,614,037  of  all  kinds  of 
leather.  Shoe  factories  257,  producing  $23,661,294 
worth  of  shoes. 

There  were  42,902,414  head  of  cattle  in  this 
country  in  the  year  1900;  of  these  16,292,360  were 
cows. 


STATISTICS.  239 

RECEIPTS  OF  HIDES  AT  NEW  YORK, 

Total  Total 

Foreign.                                          icpo.  1899. 

•^^^^^^  222,791  297,090 

Buenos  Ayrcs 656,894  781,157 

Monteviedo 404,498  368,000 

Orinoco  93,494  194,523 

Rio  Grande 101,974  23,151 

Other  So.  American 445,889  548,200 

Central  America   55,73i  77,212 

Mexico 161,210  177,064 

West  Indies 68,1 19  83,797 

Europe 559.092  643,924 

^hina   494,75o  352,882 

Africa 

Total  foreign 3,248,442     3,761,719 

Domestic 303,141        378,987 

Total  3-551,583     4,140.706 

Receipts  of  hides  from  Calcutta,  3.763  bales  cow 
hides,  11,555  bales  buffalo  hides  for  1900. 

DUTY  ON  HIDES. 

In  1845  the  first  duty  was  levied  on  hides.  It 
was  5  per  cent.  This  remained  (except  in  1846, 
when  they  were  free)  up  to  1858,  when  the  import 
was  reduced  to  4  per  cent.  In  1862  the  duty  on 
hides  and  skins  was  made  10  per  cent  ad  valorem. 
This  import  was  taken  off  in  1872,  when  hides  and 
skins  were  admitted  free.    In  the  summer  of  1897 


240  HISTORY    OF    THE    SWAMP. 

the  Dingley  bill  put  15  per  cent  duty  on  hides. 
Calf  skins,  goat  skins  and  light  hides  were  admit- 
ted free.  A  drawback  equal  to  duty  paid  on  hides 
was  allowed  on  the  leather  exported.  Green  hides 
25  pounds  and  under,  and  dry  hides  12  pounds  and 
under  are  free. 

NEW   YORK 
ITS  EARLY  SHOE  TRADE.    HISTORY  OF  SOME 
PIONEERS. 

The  first  vessel  freighted  with  shoes  at  Boston 
was  the  sloop  Delight.  She  sailed  for  New  York  in 
May,  1818.  Her  cargo  was  consigned  to  Spofford 
&  Tileston,  No.  19  Fly  Market.  The  members  of 
this  firm  were  originally  from  Haverhill,  Mass. 
They  accumulated  great  fortunes. 

Up  to  about  1850  the  wholesale  shoe  trade  was 
located  in  Pearl  street,  near  the  leather  dealers  in 
the  Swamp.  Their  business  relations  were  very 
close.    The  early  shoe  jobbers  all  sold  leather. 

John  P.  Whitehouse  was  the  first  to  make  soe 
shoes,  in  Pearl,  near  Ferry  street,  in  1837.  These 
were  nailed  shoes.  Mr.  Whitehouse  was  a  Member 
of  Congress  at  Washington  in  1872  and  1874.  He 
died  in  1881. 

Edwin  C.  Burt  left  a  name  second  to  none  in  the 
trade.  He  cut  the  first  French  kid  in  sale  shoes. 
His  firm  took  gold  medals  at  every  World's  Fair 
where  they  exhibited.  Morse  &  Rogers,  Duane 
street,  succeeded  to  the  business  of  Edwin  C.  Burt 
&  Co.,  and  well  uphold  the  high  character  he  es- 


EARLY  SHOE  TRADE.  241 

tablished  for  the  Burt  shoes. 

Nathaniel  Fisher  was  born  in  Dcdham,  Mass., 
in  1818.  He  began  in  the  shoe  trade  in  Bufifalo, 
with  John  V.  Ay  res,  but  came  to  New  York  in 
1837  and  went  into  the  store  of  L.  S.  Bouton  & 
Co.,  in  Pearl  street.  Shortly  after  that  the  firm  of 
Baldwin,  Studwell  &  Fisher,  in  which  he  was  a 
partner,  was  formed.  In  1869  the  firm  became 
Nath.  C.  Fisher  &  Co.,  which  is  the  style  now.  N. 
Fisher  died  December  9th,  1880.  Two  sons,  Irving 
R.  Fisher  and  Nathaniel  C.  Fisher,  are  partners 
and  continue  the  business.  They  occupy  a  double 
store  on  Duane  street  and  are  leading  wholesale 
shoe  dealers. 

James  Hanan  founded  a  firm  in  1850  that  has  al- 
ways maintained  a  high  rank  as  producers  of  shoes. 
Mr.  Hanan  was  the  early  patron  and  helper  of  Des- 
tory,  the  inventor  of  the  Goodyear  sole  sewing  ma- 
chine. It  ought  to  have  been  called  the  Hanan 
machine.  It  would  never  have  attained  its  high 
position  but  for  the  money  and  influence  of  Hanan 
&  Sons.  They  operated  the  first  machine  in  their 
factory  in  Greenwich  street,  and  John  H.  Hanan. 
now  the  senior  of  the  firm,  has  been  instrumental 
in  introducing  it  all  over  the  world. 

CHALES  D.  BIGELOW. 

Charles  D.  Bigelow  was  a  leader  in  the  trade.  He 
came  here  in  1851,  invented  the  first  pegging  ma- 
chine, and  used  it  in  pegging  shoes  at  No.  10  Jacob 
street.  In  1854  he  introduced  the  division  of  labor 
in  his  shoe  factory,  the  first  place  where  it  was 


242  HISTORY    OF   THE    SWAMP. 

done.  He  held  numerous  contracts  for  prison 
labor.  In  1866  he  built  the  factory  at  Worcester 
and  organizecl  the  Bay  State  Shoe  and  Leather 


CHARLES    D.    BIGELOW. 


Co.  soon  after.     His  son,  Charles  E.  Bigelow,  is 
now  president  of  the  corporation.    His  son-in-law, 
Frederick  A.  Neergaard,  is  the  president  of  the 
Powell  Brothers  Shoe  Co.  in  Duane  street. 
Charles  D.  Bigelow  died  in  May,  1883. 


EARLY  SHOE  TRADE.  243 

J.  &  T.  Cousins  is  one  of  tlie  old  firms,  estab- 
lished about  1 85 1.  They  have  been  prosperous  and 
successful  in  business  since  that  time.  For  about 
half  a  century  "Cousins'  shoes"  have  been  a  stand- 
ard of  excellence  all  over  the  country.  A  few  years 
ago  they  built  a  large  and  commodious  factory  in 
Brooklyn. 

S.  Waterbury  &  Son  have  been  producing 
misses'  and  children's  shoes  since  1859.  They 
started  and  have  kept  on  with  the  motto  that 
"there  is  always  room  at  the  top,"  and  their  goods 
have  been  among  the  very  best  known  to  the  trade. 
Z.  C.  Waterbury,  of  this  firm,  is  a  worker  and  an 
organizer. 

A.  Garside  &  Sons  were  established  in  1865.  The 
firm  always  made  high  grade  shoes.  It  is  said  that 
not  half  a  dozen  shoe  manufacturers  in  the  United 
States  make  such  fine  work  as  they  do.  Their  busi- 
ness is  builded  on  a  solid  foundation,  and  three 
able,  active  sons  now  crown  the  spire,  where 
Abram  Garside  laid  the  corner  stone  almost  forty 
years  ago. 

DOHERR,  GRIMM  &  CO. 

This  firm  was  founded  in  1877,  representing  A. 
Weingreen  &  Co.,  Hamburg.  In  1881  they  be- 
gan to  do  business  under  the  present  firm  name. 
John  B.  Doherr  owns  the  business.  He  imports 
4A  Plate  hides  and  exports  hides  and  skins. 


CONTENTS 


Early  Tanning  in  New  York i 

A  Republican  Court 4 

Early  Swamp  Tanners 6 

Hide  and  Leather  Merchants 14 

Frankfort  Street   15 

Jacob  Street  19 

Ferry  Street  2^ 

Ferry  Street — North  Side 32 

Cliff  Street   3.S 

Gold  Street 36 

First  Public  Reading  Room 37 

Spruce  Street  40 

Israel  Corse  and  Firms  He  Founded 43 

Jonathan  Throne  and  Partners 43 

Corse,  Pratt  &  Co 50 

Gideon  Lee  and  Partners 31 

Jay  Gould's  Battle 30 

Lee  &  Company 5') 

Jacob  Lorillard    60 

William  Kumbel   t)2 

Everit  Family    ^^^ 

A   Growing  Trade ^K 

A   Leather  Inspection ^4 

Swamp.  1820  to  1840 ^5 


Eclectic  Fraternity (yj 

Hortons  as  Tanners 68 

Tanning  Firms 84 

Schultz  Firms 86 

Union  Sole  Leather qi 

Stephen  Kistler  '. 92 

The   Clarendon   Family 93 

Billiard  &  Company 94 

David  Moffatt   95 

Charles  B.  Fosdick 07 

Joseph  B.  Hoyt 98 

Oliver  Hoyt   99 

Mark  Hoyt 100 

Daniel  B.  Fairweather 101 

The  Ladews  as  Tanners  and  Belt  Makers.  . .  .  102 

A  Great  Belting  House 103 

Origin  of  Scoured  Oak  Backs 106 

Hans  Rees    107 

James  and  George  Brooks 109 

The  Mattisons   112 

Zadock  Pratt's  Eventful  Career 114 

Pratt's  Pictured  Rocks 116 

George  W.  Pratt ii7 

The  Laphams  as  Tanners 118 

Bulkley  &  Lapham 121 

Austin  Melvin    122 

Thomas  Smull   123 

Aaron  Healy 127 

Matthew  Armstrong 125 

Edward  Godfrey   : 129 

The  Pirate  Tanners 129 


William  Sherwood 131 

David  Wallerstein 1:^2 

Isaac  H.  Bailey 133 

Hide  Brokers  134 

Edwin  B.  Stimpson 138 

Charles  Hauselt 138 

Theodore  L.  Lutkins 139 

John  B.  Woodward 139 

George  Evans 140 

Friend  H.  Burt 14^ 

The  Willets  Family 14-2 

The  Stouts 143 

Charles  A.  Schieren  &  Co.  . . .' 144 

Hide  and  Leather  Bank 14^^ 

James  R.  Plum  &  Gale 146 

Scheftel  Brothers I4<^ 

Loring  Andrews  Robertson I47 

Isaac  Hyde,  Junr I49 

Elijah  T.  Brown I49 

Frederick  T.  Fawxett 150 

George  Palen ^  5- 

WilHam  Palen   ^53 

Samuel  T.  Keese ^54 

Henry  W.  McClellan I55 

Felix  Fournier  &  Knopf ^55 

Scofield  &  Stevenson ^S^ 

Josiah  T.  Tubby ^57 

The  Hide  and  Leather  Club ^S7 

Barnes  &  Merritt ^^^' 

Baruch  Wertheim   ^59 

Toseph  Hecht  &  Sons ^  ^° 

Joseph  Mushner 


J.  H.  Rossbach  &  Bro i6[ 

B.  Frank  &  Sons i6i 

Salomon  &  Phillips 162 

The    Costellos    164 

J.  Pasknsz  &  Son 165 

Loring  Andrews,  Real  Estate 166 

The  Ely  Family 168 

Loring  Andrews    170 

The  Hoople  Family 172 

Mulford,  Carey  &  Conklin 173 

The  Erasers   174 

Bank  Presidents lyG 

John  Randolph's  Retort 177 

Keck,  Mosser  &  Co 178 

John  V.  Van  Woert 179 

Shattuck  &  Binger 180 

The  United  States  Leather  Co 180 

The  United  States  Leather  Co.,  Officers,  1901.  185 

Trade  Dinner 217 

Richard  Nelson   237 

Statistics 239 

Early  Shoe  Trade 240 


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